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THE 

PRACTICAL GAS 
ENGINEER 

A Manual of Practical Gas and 
Gasoline Engine Knowledge 

•FOR THE GAS AND GASOLINE ENGINE 
OWNER, ENGINEER, OR . ANY ONE 
WISHING PLAIN AND PRACTICAL IN- 
FORMATION ON THIS STYLE MOTOR. 

COVERING ERRORS TO BE AVOIDED 
IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF, AND 
HOW TO ERECT, OPERATE AND CARE 
FOR GAS AND GASOLINE ENGINES 

Sixth Edition 



BY 

E. W. LONGANECKER, M. D. 

Copyright June 1st, 1901 



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I wo Copies «ecc!vti<! 

JUL 6 1908 

CLASS 4 &*Ci Nu. 

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PREFACE. 

Having many times in the past ten 
years felt the need of some book that could 
be placed into the hands of the busy gas 
and gasoline engineer for the purpose of 
aiding him quickly to overcome the appar- 
ently mysterious troubles that often arise 
with these engines, the author has for a 
number of years, during his extensive 
travels as an expert for one of the oldest 
and leading gas engine concerns in Amer- 
ica, collected such data in reference to 
CONSTRUCTION, EQUIPMENT and 
GAS ENGINE TROUBLES as are of 
special interest to the PROSPECTIVE 
PURCHASER, the GAS ENGINEER, or 
any one wishing to post himself thorough- 
ly on the management, care, operation and 
selection of a gas or gasoline engine. 

The data thus gathered and compiled in 
this book cover practically all the ques- 
tions that arise from the purchaser's, 
owner's and engineer's standpoint. 



4 PREFACE. 

It is the author's intention that it shall 
be a ready reference most valuable to all 
persons interested in modern gas and 
gasoline engines, and especially to the 
busy gas engineer, in cases of emergency 
where his engine refuses to operate suc- 
cessfully and the cause of the trouble is 
difficult to locate. 

In handling the various subjects the 
author has endeavored to studiously avoid 
the theoretical, and adhere strictly, in as 
brief a manner as possible, to the practical 
questions concerning the purchase and 
handling of gas and gasoline engines. 

I have reason to believe that this book 
will save many a gas engine owner, not 
only much time and money that without it 
would be expended on repairs, but that it 
will also save him much mental worry and 
make him and his gas or gasoline engine 
closer friends. 

If it does either it will have attained 
its purpose. 

THE AUTHOR. 



ERRATA 



Page I 5, paragraph 42 should read: 
I -1200 to 1-300 in., etc. 



PART I. 



INTRODUCTORY. 

1. A GAS ENGINE may be defined 
as a Motor or Prime Mover which de- 
rives its power from the Combustion, 
within its cylinder, of a mixture of gas 
and air in the proper proportion to 
form an explosive. 

2. The COMBUSTION or burning of 
this charge of gas and air is occasioned 
under a close or heavy compression, a 
result of the inward movement of the 
piston after the charge is admitted and 
all valves closed. The result of igniting 
this mixture under the heavy compres- 
sion is what is commonly called an 
explosion, which is nothing more than 
a quick burning or rapid combustion 
of the mixture. 

3. This explosion causes suddenly a 
high degree of heat within the cylin- 
der, behind the piston, which heat 
results in a great EXPANSIVE 
FORCE, creating an initial pressure 
against the piston of something near 
200 pounds to the square inch. This 
drives the piston rapidly and forcibly 
on its outward movement, which, con- 
nected to the fly wheels by means of 



THE PRACTICAL GAS ENGINEER. 

pitman and crank shaft, imparts to 
them their revolving motion and con- 
sequent power= 
4 FUEL — A number of combustible 
products are well adapted to be used 
as fuel in a gas engine. 

5. The most commonly employed are 
Natural and Artificial Gas, Gasoline, 
Benzine, Distillate, etc. 

6. These products are known as Hy- 
dro-Carbons, and may be considered 
products of Coal, Wood, Water and 
Crude Mineral Oil. 

7. This style of motor is commonly 
called Gas Engine. Gasoline Engine, 
Hydro-Carbon Engine, Naphtha En- 
gine, Kerosene Engine and Explosive 
Engine. It is entirely proper to call 
an engine that employs gasoline for 
fuel a Gas engine. A Gasoline engine 
is practically a Gas engine. All Hydro- 
Carbon engines are Gas engines. 

8. Gasoline atomized or vaporized 
with the current of air as it enters the 
cylinder simply forms a gas, and is 
transformed as such into power. It is 
gasoline only on the outside, but gas 
on the inside of the cylinder. So with 
all the other fluids named. Therefore 
all the liquid fuels employed in these 
engines must be by some method first 
transformed into gas before they are 
useful. 

9. BIRTH OF THE GAS ENGINE 
— As early as 1680 Huyghens sug- 



THE PRACTICAL GAS ENGINEER. 7 

gested the use of gunpowder in an 
explosive engine. This suggestion 
engaged the attention of other minds. 

10. M. Beau de Rochas advocated a 
Four- Cycle idea in 1862. But the reai 
practical demonstration which proved 
that the gas engine could be made a 
success was made by Lenoir in I860, 
and Hugon, Siemens, Boulton, Cros- 
ley and Dr. Otto a few years later 
designed engines that proved the gas 
engine a success beyond a doubt. 

11. FOUR CYCLE and OTTO CYCLE 
are used synonymously, meaning that 
an engine completes a Cycle in Four (4) 
acts, or that it requires four (4) move- 
ments of the piston to complete a 
Cycle, as follows : 

1st — On the outward movement of 
the piston a charge of gas and air is 
drawn into the cylinder. In other 
words, inhaled. 

2nd — On the inward movement, the 
valves being closed, the charge is com- 
pressed in the rear end of the cylinder. 

3rd — At the beginning of the work- 
ing stroke Explosion and Expan- 
sion of the charge under the heaviest 
compression pressure causes the next 
outward movement. 

4th — The second inward movement, 
with the exhaust valve open, exhausts 
the burnt gases. 

12. Therefore two revolutions of the 
fly wheels are necessary to complete 



8 THE PRACTICAL GAS ENGINEER. 

one cycle, consisting of an Inhalation, 
Compression, Expansion and Exhaust. 

13. All Gas Engines are not built on 
the Four-Cycle plan. There are many 
Two-Cycle engines now on the market. 
But the Four- Cycle engine up to the 
present has been a great favorite over 
the Two-Cycle with both the manufac- 
turer and user. 

14. This is so partly because there are 
fewer obstructions to be overcome in 
manufacturing a successful four-cycle, 
in consequence of which the manufac- 
turers have given more attention to 
perfecting and simplifying that cycle, 
and inasmuch as they are meeting the 
requirements of power users, and are 
favored with a ready market, they do 
not care to leave it for the two-cycle 
problem. 

15. A TWO-CYCLE engine, of course, 
must be differently constructed from a 
four-cycle. There must be two com- 
pression chambers, either in the shape 
of two cylinders or one cylinder with 
both ends closed, or the crank cham- 
ber may be tightly encased and used 
as a compression chamber. THE TWO 
COMPRESSION CHAMBERS are 
necessary because in a two-cycle en- 
gine a charge of gas and air must be 
received by the engine somewhere at 
the same time the previous charge is 
being compressed ready for explosion. 

16. As before stated, two cylinders, 



THE PRACTICAL GAS ENGINEER. 9 

placed side by side, with their pistons 
moving in opposite directions at the 
same time, and with their compression 
chambers connected with an admission 
port and \ alve, will cover the require- 
ments of a two-cycle. The more simple 
arrangement of making one cylinder 
and piston serve the same purpose is 
most desirable. 

17. To make its operation clear, I will 
take for an illustration the single cyl- 
inder two-cycle engine, using the air- 
tight crank case or chamber for a 
receiving, mixing and compression 
chamber. 

18. The casting is so made that when 
the engine is completed the pitman 
and crank are completely enclosed and 
work in this air-tight chamber. You 
can easily understand that if it were 
not for the piston this chamber and the 
cylinder would be one continuous, 
irregular, enclosed space. The piston , 
however, working in the cylinder 
divides the space into two chambers, 
the cylinder proper and the crank 
chamber. 

19. To the crank chamber there must 
be an admission port and valve to 
receive the charges. From the crank 
chamber to the cylinder there must be 
a side passage to carry the charge 
from the crank space into the cylinder. 
From the cylinder to the outside there 
must be an exhaust port or valve. 



10 THE PRACTICAL GAS ENGINEER. 

20. NOW NOTICE THE ACTION OP 
THIS ARRANGEMENT. When the 
piston moves back into the cylinder it 
acts as a suction pump to the crank 
chamber, and if the admission valve 
were closed it would create a partial 
vacuum in the crank space. But the 
admission valve is opened on this in- 
ward stroke of the piston and admits 
a properly mixed charge of gas and 
air. As the piston moves out toward 
the crank space it compresses this 
charge to the end of its stroke, where 
a valve or port is opened and the com- 
pression pressure, in the crank cham- 
ber, forces the charge through the side 
passage, into the cylinder behind the 
piston. Now when the piston moves 
on its inward stroke it compresses the 
charge behind it, and at the same time 
draws another into the crank chamber. 

21. The compressed charge in the cyl- 
inder is exploded just as the piston 
starts again on its outward stroke. 
The expansive force of the explosion 
drives the piston with a rapid move- 
ment to the end of its outward stroke 
when the exhaust port is opened, and 
the burnt gases are let out into the 
open air. Just after the exhaust port 
opens and the exploded charge is leav- 
ing the cylinder the compressed charge 
from the crank chamber comes rushing 
in from the other side. 

22. Therefore the exploding cylinder is 



THE PRACTICAL GAS ENGINEER. 11 

always receiving a fresh charge at the 
same time it is exhausting the explod- 
ed one. In other words, emptying out 
the old on one side through the exhaust 
port and filling up at the same instant 
on the other side from the crank 
chamber. 
23. A Two-Cycle engine on each inward 
movement compresses a fresh charge 
in the cylinder behind the piston and 
receives another into the crank cham- 
ber. It also explodes a charge and 
receives an impulse at every revolu- 
tion. 



PART II. 



CONSTRUCTION. 

24. Parts necessary to the proper con- 
struction of a Gas Engine are Cylin- 
der, Base or Bed Plate, Piston and 
Piston Rings, Connecting Rod or 
Pitman, Crank Shaft, Fly-wheels and 
Belt Pulley, Receiving and Exhaust 
Vavles, Igniting Device and Governor. 

25. A cylinder head and water jacket 
might be included, although the cylin- 
der head in some engines is continuous 
with the walls of the cylinder, and 
consequently a part of it. The cooling, 



12 THE PRACTICAL GAS ENGINEER. 

for which purpose the water jacket 
serves, may be done otherwise, as with 
spinous projections cast into the cylin- 
der wall. 

26. CYLINDER.— In writing on con- 
struction the Four- Cycle engine only 
will be considered. 

27. A Cylinder is made of gray iron 
castings, with either one or both ends 
open. If both ends are open a cylinder 
head is fitted onto one end so as to 
close it. The cylinder is usually cast 
with water jacket, although the water 
jacket may be cast separate and fit onto 
the cylinder. Exhaust and receiving 
valve ports are cast into the head or 
onto the sides of one end of the 
cylinder. 

28. So far as the success or failure of a 
valve is concerned, location of its port 
has very little to do with it so long as 
it opens into the compression chamber. 
That location is usually selected where 
it is believed to be most convenient to 
operate the movements of the valve. 

29. Both end and side port valves are 
used very successfully. A number of 
successful engines have their valve 
ports on the top and bottom of the 
cylinder. 

30. Many small engines have the base 
and cylinder cast in one piece. Other 
cylinders have lugs, brackets or rests 
cast on them, which are fitted to a 
similar casting' on the base by means 



THE PRACTICAL GAS ENGINEER. 13 

of stud bolts and nuts, and are there- 
fore bolted on. 
81. On small engines where combined 
cylinder and castings are used and 
easily handled there can be no reason- 
able excuse offered against the plan. 

32. It is argued by some builders that 
in case of a break to either cylinder or 
bed only one need be supplied to repair 
the break, but the increased amount of 
machine work and time spent in de- 
taching the old piece and putting on 
the new about offsets their argument. 
In cost of repairs there is very little 
difference. 

33. The metal in the walls of the cylin- 
der should be of uniform thickness in 
its entire circumference and from one 
end to the other, so as to allow equal 
expansion and contraction throughout. 

34. The bore of the cylinder should be 
as nearly perfect as machinery, han- 
dled by a careful and skilled me- 
chanic, can make it. The igniting 
end of the interior of the cylin- 
der should be smooth and free from 
projections or sharp corners. The 
valve ports should be of ample capacity 
to allow easy admission and free ex- 
haust. Cylinder walls should be from 
f inch thickness in a 5 -inch cylinder to 
£ or 1 inch in a 12-inch cylinder. The 
metal in the walls should be free from 
sand holes, so as to prevent water 
leaking into the cylinder. 



14 THE PRACTICAL GAS ENGINEER. 

35. The base or bedplate, as its name 
implies, is the support of all the work- 
ing parts of the engine, and should be 
so designed as to be sufficiently strong 
at all points where a special strain is 
liable to be exerted. The base is the 
support for the cylinder and fly 
wheels, and should be so arranged as 
to carry these in the most simple, con- 
venient, efficient and compact manner. 

36. In small engines it is desirable to 
have the base of sufficient height to 
clear the fly wheels, so that when the 
engine is placed on the floor the fly 
wheels may turn clear by an inch or 
two. 

37. In larger engines, where it is de- 
sirable to keep down the weight, for 
convenience in handling, a sub-base 
may be substituted, 

38. The least carelessness in the con- 
struction of the crank or journal 
boxes determines a partial or complete 
failure of the engine. 

39. The edges, or rather the inner 
edges of the boxes should be so 
dressed as to just admit the crank 
without practically any end play, and 
in a position to bring the center of the 
crank pin exactly in line with the cen- 
ter of the cylinder. 

40. The brass or babbit bearing should 
be so put in as to insure the center of 
the CRANK PIN in its entire stroke 
to be in exact LINE with the center 



THE PRACTICAL GAS ENGINEER. 15 

of the cylinder. In other words, the 
boxes must hold the crank shaft at 
perfect right angles to the cylinder 
centers. 

41. The brass or babbit bearings should 
always be strictly of the best material 
obtainable for the purpose. The least 
variation from perfect alignment is 
faulty construction. 

42. THE PISTON should be from 
1-200 in. to 1-32 in. smaller in diameter 
than the cylinder, according to diame- 
ter of the cylinder. It should be a 
close gray iron casting, free from sand 
holes. It should be of the drum-shaped 
variety, closed at one end and open at 
the other to receive the crosshead end 
of the pitman or connecting rod. 

43. The crosshead lugs which carry 
the pin to which the pitman is con- 
nected should be located near the 
center of the piston length. If any- 
thing, a little nearer the open than the 
closed end. It is bad practice to carry 
the weight necessary to construct a 
proper crosshead with the weight of 
the pin and part of the pitman too 
near the rear end of the piston. 

44. There is no rule governing the 
length and weight of a piston. Each 
manufacturer constructs a piston of 
length and weight after his own ideas. 
The tendency is to make them extreme- 
ly ]ong, which neccessarily makes them 
too heavy to be of the best service. 



16 THE PRACTICAL GAS ENGINEER. 

45. The longer and heavier a piston 
the more friction in the cylinder, and 
consequently the more power is re- 
quired to move it, and the more work 
will be thrown on the crank boxes and 
shaft in reversing it, whichimparts an 
end motion to the entire engine that 
is difficult to balance. 

46. I favor a piston of medium length, 
not too long nor extremely short. An 
upright engine admits of a shorter 
piston than a horizontal, because a 
horizontal engine carries the weight 
of its piston on the cylinder walls; 
and the longer the piston the less dam- 
aging is the wear to the cylinder. The 
weight is distributed over more surface. 

47. An upright engine carries its 
piston weight principally on the crank 
shaft, and therefore should be as light 
and short as the force with which it 
has to deal will allow. 

48. The Rings on the Piston serve to 
prevent the escape of the expansive 
force past the piston, which is neces- 
sarily somewhat smaller, so as to 
allow its free and easy movement in 
the cylinder. 

4P. The packing rings are made larger 
than the cylinder. A piece from £ to 1 
inch in length is cut out, so that when 
the end of the rings are pressed 
together it reduces the diameter of the 
ring to that of the cylinder, but leaves 
an outward sr^ng to the ring, 



THE PRACTICAL GAS ENGINEER. 17 

60. After cutting a piece out of a per- 
fect ring and pressing the ends 
together it will make an oblong instead 
of a perfect ring, and consequently it 
can not fit a perfect cylinder. After 
the ring is cut the ends should be 
pressed together and again turned to 
a perfect ring, on the outside at least. 
It is to be regretted that all manufac- 
turers do not follow this rule in 
making their rings. 

51. An oblong ring will wear the walls 
of the cylidder at two opposite points 
only, which will soon wear the cylin- 
der oblong in shape. 

52. Such rings also fail to serve their 
purpose by allowing the expansive 
force to pass the piston. It is as im- 
portant to a purchaser to know how 
the packing rings are made as to know 
that the journal boxes are in exact line 
from every point with the cylinder. 

53. He should always ask an agent or 
manufacturer who is trying to sell him 
an engine this question: How are pis- 
ton rings made? And if they do not 
make a plain answer, or if they seem 
to evade the question, it is just as well 
for the purchaser to give that engine 
no further consideration. Because if a 
manufacturer is careless with his cyl- 
inder rings and journal boxes he is 
liable to be careless with every part 
of his engine. 

54. The cylinder rings and journal 



18 THE PRACTICAL, GAS ENGINEER. 

boxes are not the only safe guides to a 
purchaser. As we go along with these 
points on construction you will see 
that the purchaser will find many 
things to open his eyes. It is intended 
to make this little book the purchaser's 
friend as well as the men who have 
charge of an engine. If the purchaser 
were more exacting in his require- 
ments the manufacturer would build 
him a better engine, and a portion of 
the gas engine trouble would cease. 

55. A purchaser's suspicion may be 
aroused that a ring is not properly 
made if there is a coughing noise and 
smoke coming out of the open end of 
the cylinder at each explosion of a 
charge. If by drawing out the piston 
he finds the rings are bearing and 
worn ouly at the cut and at a point 
opposite he can rest assured that the 
rings were not turned after cutting. 

56. PITMAN OR CONNECTING 
ROD. — Very few gas engine builders 
use the slides or crosshead guides as 
used in the steam engines. The pitman 
is generally connected one end to the 
crank shaft, the other direct to the 
piston. It is made of steel casting or 
steel forging. The latter is less liable 
to defects, and therefore more desira- 
ble. 

57. It should be centered, turned and 
made as light as possible, with ample 
strength to carry the power transmit- 



THE PKacTICAL GAS ENGINEER. 19 

ted through it. The center lines of the 
crossheads and wrist boxes, which are 
usually made of brass, should be at 
exact right angles to the center line of 
the connecting rod. 

58. The plan of attaching the wrist- 
boxes to the connecting rod, by means 
of two steel bolts, is probably the most 
convenient and satisfactory method of 
attaching these boxes. 

59. Owing to the slight motion required 
at the crosshead many v builders con- 
sider a simple bushing amply sufficient, 
although some are using bearings such 
as the strap and key variety or one 
similar to the wrist boxes. 

60. . CRANK SHAFT. — The question 
of crank shaft construction is a very 
important one. The center line of the 
wrist pin should be exactly parallel 
with the center line of the crank shaft. 
The least variance from this necessa- 
rily makes a bad running engine. 

61. I have found wrist pins in boxes, 
that were constantly running hot, not 
only out of line with their shaft, but 
also of different diameter at the ends, 
one end of the pin being considerably 
larger in diameter than the other. One 
or the other of the defects here men- 
tioned is usually the cause of a con- 
stantly HOT RUNNING wrist box. 

62. Improper lining of the crank with 
the cylinder or the wrist boxes fas- 
tened on the pitman out of line are 



20 THE PRACTICAL GAS ENGINEER. 

faults that should not be overlooked. 

63. The arms of the crank shaft should 
be of exactly the same thickness, so as 
to bring the wrist pin in such a posi- 
tion that thb center line of the cylinder 
will divide it into two exact halves in 
every part of the entire length of its 
stroke. 

64. LENGTH AND DIAMETER OP 
WRIST PIN.— The best rule to follow 
is to make the working area of the 
crank pin so that there is no more than 
400 pounds average pressure to the 
square inch. Whether you secure this 
area by a long slim pin or a short thick 
pin does not matter much, provided 
extremes are avoided and journal boxes 
are of suitable length. Builders gen- 
erally agree that the diameter of the 
pin should be from 1 to 1£ times that 
of the shaft. 

65. The length of the journal boxes 
should be not less than 2% times the 
diameter of the shaft. 

66. CRANK SHAFT DIAMETERS.— 
No uniform rule is followed. But gas 
engine crank shaft diameters in Amer- 
ica compare very favorably with a rule 
based upon cylinder diameter and max- 
imum pressure within the cylinder. 
The average diameters run a little 
"shy" of the rule. 

67. WEIGHT AND DIAMETER OP 
FLY WHEELS.— Very much depends 
on the speed of the engine as to weight 



THE PRACTICAL GAS ENGINEER. 21 

that should be carried. At a medium 
speed, which may be based on about 
225 revolutions for 25 h. p. to 375 for a 
2 h. p., one hundred pounds to the 
horse power will not be very far out of 
the way. The diameter may range from 
28 in. on the small engine to 60 in. on 
the larger size. The weight above re- 
ferred to, of course, is divided between 
the two wheels. 
68. BALANCING AN ENGINE.— This 
is a subject that is not so easily dis- 
posed of as it might appear. The ma- 
jority of manufacturers simply use a 
weight in the rim of the fly wheels 
directly opposite the arms and wrist 
pin on the crank shaft, or, what is 
practically the same thing, they core 
out the rim at a point directly opposite 
from that where the weight should 
otherwise be. 

70. Some builders think the crank shaft 
is the proper place to attach the bal- 
ance weights. 

71. If carefully done the weight in the 
rim is equally as good if not a better 
method than the other, But it is still 
better to balance the pitman and crank 
at the rim of the fly wheel, and the 
piston movement by a sliding counter 
weight operated from an eccentric on 
crank shaft. 

72. This would necessitate considerable 
additional mechanism, and therefore is 
objectionable unless made to serve the 



22 THE PRACTICAL GAS ENGINEER. 

purpose of pump, piston or air com- 
pressor. 

73. A pump or an air compressor in 
connection with a gas engine is an ex- 
cellent combination. Unfortunately 
not every one who has use for a gas 
engine has need of a pump or com- 
pressor. But you can ' 'whack the nail 
squarely on the head" by making a 
double cylinder engine with one cylin- 
der on each end of the engine base and 
a double crank shaft in the center, so 
that both pistons move away from and 
towards each other at the same time. 

74. This would make a balanced engine 
without weights and a better power in 
every w r ay, but more expensive to build 
and less economical in fuel consump- 
tion. 

75. VALVES. —The ordinary four- 
cycle engine usually has three valves, 
the exhaust valve, the receiving valve 
and the fuel valve. The exhaust and 
receiving valves are generally placed 
at a point on the cylinder head so that 
their ports lead directly into the ignit- 
ing or exploding chamber. These 
valves are usually of the mushroom 
type, and are operated by means of 
suitable levers in connection with the 
cams on a revolving side rod, or by a 
punch rod from a cog gear driven by 
the crank shaft. 

76. As to the manner of operating these 
valves, I think the advantages are in 



THE PRACTICAL GAS ENGINEER. 25 

favor of the side rod on the engines of 
the horizontal type and with the gear 
and punching mechanism on the verti- 
cal type of engines. 

77. The principal reason for this dis- 
tinction is that it is more desirable to 
have the valve stem work in a vertical 
or upright than in a horizontal posi- 
tion. If a valve stem works in a verti- 
cal position the weight of the valve 
brings it squarely into its seat, and the 
wear on the seat, value and stem are 
likely to be uniform at all points. But 
if the valve is so placed as to move in 
a horizontal position the weight of the 
valve pallet has a tendency to wear the 
stem and seat on their under side only, 

%nd therefore liable to soon cause 
trouble. 

78. The valve chambers can be bolted 
to a horizontal cylinder in a vertical 
position and operated by suitable lev- 
ers acted on by cams on the side rod. 
While on the vertical type of en- 
gine the valves are adjusted to the 
cylinder in a vertical manner directly 
over the crank shaft or gear, which 
operates them with a direct acting me- 
chanism. 

79. You will notice I say the valve 
chambers should be bolted or adjusted 
to the cylinder. They should not be 
cast on. My advice to any one pur- 
chasing is to shun an engine where 
valve chambers, or at least valve seats, 



24 THE PRACTICAL, GAS ENGINEER. 

can not be replaced by new ones. 
Valve seats are liable to wear out and 
crack by the continual wear and high 
heat to which they are subjected. The 
valve pallet and its seat should also be 
in such a position as to be easy of ac- 
cess. They need to be examined and 
cleaned occasionally. 

80. The exhaust valve on large engines 
should be watered, otherwise its seat 
is soon liable to give way under the 
excessive heat. The cold charges en- 
tering at the receiving valve serve as 
a cooler for it. 

81. A valve mechanism may be so de- 
signed as to use alternately either gas 
or gasoline as fuel, but not both a* the 
same time. A valve or set of valves 
may be arranged so as to shut off one 
and turn on the other, thus changing 
fuels without stopping the engine. 

82. The conditions requiring such an 
immediate change are so rarely met 
with that I doubt the propriety of fit- 
ting an engine with such a complex ar- 
rangement. Where a change is really 
necessary there is always sufficient 
warning and ample time to prepare for 
it. The two fuels are of a different 
chemical composition, and the blending 
of their elements with a volume of air 
so as to make a ready explosive would 
be extremely difficult, and therefore 
impractical to attempt their combina- 



THE PRACTICAL GAS ENGINEER. 25 

tion or use in conjunction or at the 
same time. 

83. To go into the details of describing 
the various fuel valve mechanisms now 
used would require more space than 
could be allowed in this little work. 
Each builder claims some superior 
point of merit in his method of feed- 
ing the fuel, but it should not be for- 
gotten that other reliable builders may- 
have other points as good. It may be 
sufficient to say that the gas valves, 
and their operating mechanism, are 
generally so arranged as to open the 
valves when the outward movement of 
the piston is drawing a current of air 
into the cylinder, and partly by the 
force of the gas pressure and partly by 
the suction produced by the piston the 
gas is admitted to the current of air 
and mixes with it as it enters the cyl- 
inder. 

84. Gasoline valves and their methods 
of handling fuel are a little more com- 
plicated, but in most cases it is the 
current of air, also, by its suction 
power, that draws sufficient gasoline 
from a needle point or valve to charge 
the air current. In some instances the 
gasoline is forced into the air current 
by means of a small pump. Some ker- 
osene engines take a charge of air 
only, and after compressing it, the 
kerosene is sprayed into the com- 
pression space and immediately fired. 



26 THE PRACTICAL GAS ENGINEER. 

85. A purchaser needs to familiarize 
himself with the function of the gas or 
gasoline valve on his engine and its 
method of feeding the fuel. It requires 
only a little close attention and common 
sense to ]earn in half an hour all that 
is necessary to know about the feeding 
and regulating the fuel to the engine. 

86. The fuel may be properly fed and 
regulated and yet the engine refuse to 
go. Therefore the fellow who uses 
common sense enough to learn the 
proper feeding of gasoline or fuel will 
get into trouble if he concludes that he 
has learned it all. This is just the posi- 
tion in which I have found many a fel- 
low. And this brings us to that me- 
chanical part of the engine which prob- 
ably is more often the source of trou- 
ble than all others combined, and that 
is the IGNITING MECHANISM. 

87. You no doubt are somewhat familiar 
with the two principal methods of igni- 
tion, namely the HOT TUBE and^the 
ELECTRIC SPARK method. The 
fellow with coiiimon sense about get- 
ting his fuel fed just right must also 
know whether he has a sufficient spark 
or tube hot enough to fire the charge of 
fuel. 

88. In the electric spark method, which 
is in greatest favor in America at this 
time, it is necessary to have a spark of 
sufficient intensity to ignite the charge* 



THE PRACTICAL GAS ENGINEER. 27 

and it must be made at just the right 
time. 

89. There are two kinds of spark used 
now, which are known as the Contact 
Spark and the Jump Spark. The latter 
is used more particularly in high speed 
engines or automobile work, the former 
in stationary engines, in which we are 
mostly interested. 

90. The contact spark is made by start- 
ing an electric current and then in- 
stantly breaking it. If a battery or other 
source of electricity is connected up 
properly with two wires, one end of 
each wire attached to the battery, one 
to the positive and the other to the 
negative pole, the battery remains 
practically inactive so long as these 
wires do not come in contact with each 
other. But the moment the two loose 
ends of the wires are brought in con- 
tact with each other a current of elec- 
tricity is made or started over these 
wires. Contact of the terminals, then, 
is known as making the current. The 
parting of the terminals is breaking the 
current. 

91. If a spark coil is connected into this 
circuit, whenever the terminals are 
parted an electric spark or flash is 
made, which does the igniting of the 
charge. The terminals or contact 
making points, therefore, are not neces- 
sarily the ends of the wires, but any 



28 THE PRACTICAL GAS ENGINEER. 

piece of metal to which the ends of the 
wires may be attached. 

92. The current can be carried any rea- 
sonable distance over metal that is a 
good conductor or carrier of elec- 
tricity. Of course it is always neces- 
sary before a current is made that there 
is a contact of the terminals or a con- 
nection between positive and negative 
poles. 

93. The electric terminals or contact 
points are, therefore, necessarily in the 
igniting chamber of the engine, and at 
least one of them must be insulated 
from that part of the cylinder wall 
through which it passes. 

94. In the construction of the sparking 
apparatus I think it is best to use 
platinum for the terminals or contact 
points on account of its quality to 
withstand a high degree of heat, al- 
though some manufacturers use com- 
mon steel or gray iron points with a 
view to frequently and cheaply renew- 
ing them. 

95. The insulation of one of these ter- 
minals should be complete, practically 
indestructible and proof against heat 
and moisture. 

96. The best material for insulating 
purposes is lava, porcelain, mica and 
glass. If melted or fused properly 
around the terminal sleeve I regard 
glass much better than the others. A 
successful and effective insulation may 



THE PRACTICAL GAS ENGINEER. 29 

be made with either of the others, al- 
though probably not as durable. 

97. The mechanism that operates the 
movable point or terminal should be 
so designed that the contact will be of 
short duration, that the break or sepa- 
ration can be easily timed so as to 
make the spark earlier or later, that 
the terminals always remain separated 
between the act of sparking, and so as 
to make a contact when the engine re- 
ceives a charge. 

98. The movable contact point should 
approach the stationary gradually, 
press it firmly and separate instantly. 
This is known as the Kiss or Butt spark 
method. A wiping spark is made by 
what is known as a wipe contact, 
which is used by some builders. 

99. The spark is indirectly controlled 
by the governor on some engines. 
Usually the governor controls the ex- 
haust or receiving valve movement, 
and this valve movement is made to 
incite the movement of the sparking 
mechanism only when a charge is taken 
into the cylinder. On other engines 
no attempt is made to govern the num- 
ber of sparks at all, but a regular suc- 
cession of sparks occurs whether the 
governor admits a charge or not. 

100. GOVERNORS.— There are a num- 
ber of different types of governors in 
use among the gas engine builders. 
The most common are the fly-wheel 



SO THE PRACTICAL GAS ENGINEER. 

governor, the pendulum governor and 
the centrifugal or ball governor. The 
latter is probably the most popular and 
effective. However, the others oper- 
ate quite satisfactorily. 

101. No governor of the hit and miss 
pattern should act sluggishly, but 
should be sensitive enough to avoid 
two charges in succession when the 
engine is running without a load. One 
impulse should be sufficient to drive 
the engine over from one to five misses, 
owing to the speed of the engine. The 
lower the speed the fewer number of 
impulses allowed by the governor on 
an empty running engine. The higher 
the speed the more impulses. 

A governor that can not be ^aade to 
throw off the succeeding charge after 
an impulse on an empty running en- 
gine should be rejected. 

102. To be more explicit, a hit and miss 
governor that allows an empty engine 
two, three, four or five impulses in 
succession, and then throws off as 
many or more, certainly can not be re- 
commended unless it can be adjusted 
to do its work properly. 

103. A good governor will handle an 
empty engine at, say, three hundred 
revolutions per minute, one on and two 
off. In other words, one impulse and 
two misses; at two hundred revolu- 
tions, one on and four off. 

104. Of course you understand a gover- 



THE PRACTICAL GAS ENGINEER. 31 

nor that operates on the proportional 
charge, or throttling plan, allows con- 
tinuous and successive impulses, light 
or heavy according to the load on the 
engine, by throttling the mixture of 
gas and air. 

105. I consider the throttling governor 
a success. It is generally conceded by 
builders that the hit and miss govern6r 
is the most economical in fuel con- 
sumption, but I do not regard it neces- 
sarily so. The American inventor, if 
he has not already done so, will invent 
a method of injecting the fuel in such 
exact proportions as to give the proper 
strength to the impulses to carry a 
uniform speed under a variable load, 
and at the same time use only the 
amount of fuel necessary, and there- 
fore reduce the fuel consumption to the 
minimum. 

106. There can be no question of the ad- 
vantage the throttling governor has 
over the hit and miss governor in point 
of steady power. The principal objec- 
tion to the hit and miss governor is the 
variable speed it imparts to the engine. 



82 THE PRACTICAL GAS ENGINEER. 

PART III. 



EQUIPMENT. 

107. SETTING THE ENGINE.— Many 
purchasers fail with the gas engine be- 
cause of their desire to install it with 
the least expense possible. 

108. This is a great mistake. After buy- 
ing a gas engine one should go to the 
expense of installing it properly. 

109. If the engine is stationary it should 
have a tight room, all to itself, free 
from dust and with plenty of light. 

110. Too frequently we find purchasers 
placing their gas engines in some dark 
corner of the building or in some old 
damp cellar that has been abandoned 
on account of its unfit condition to be 
used for any other purpose. They 
argue that if ' 'I can use it for my en- 
gine I save space, and, therefore, 
economize. " This is surely false 
economy. 

111. I insist that if the purchaser decides 
to use such abandoned space in which 
to locate his engine he would at least 
save time and money by going to the 
expense of partitioning the space off 
into a room large enough for the en- 
gine, and keep on until he has trans- 



THE PRACTICAL GAS ENGINEER. 33 

formed his engine-room into the snug- 
gest, neatest, cleanest and most con- 
venient spot about his building, and 
then see that it is kept in that condi- 
tion. Why not? The engine is surely 
the head of his machinery plant, from 
which he expects to derive a profit. 
When the engine stands idle all his 
machinery is idle. He can make his 
engine a source of profit or loss just as- 
he will give it good or bad treatment. 

112. THE FOUNDATION should be in 
keeping with everything that is good 
and substantial. Bolting the engine 
fast to <k any old floor" is bad practice 
But, alas! Gas Engines are advertised 
to set anywhere, on any floor or in any 
cellar. There are foolish advertisers 
as well as foolish purchasers. A care- 
ful purchaser will not buy of a reckless 
or careless advertiser who makes un- 
reasonable or extravagant claims for 
his engine. 

113 . I would have every gas engine pur- 
chaser figure on a stone or brick and 
cement foundation if it is at all possi- 
ble. If nothing but a floor location 
can be had I should recommend good 
heavy timbers bolted to the floor of 
sufficient length to strengthen the 
floor for a considerable distance around 
the engine, then bolt the engine to these 
timbers. 

114. The only object in a foundation is 
a solid setting for the engine. If you 



34 THE PRACTICAL GAS ENGINEER. 

haven't got a solid foundation you 
might properly say you have no found- 
ation. A good engine room and a good 
foundation is an excellent beginning. 

115. The depth of the foundation below 
grade line depends somewhat on the 
condition of the soil. It should always 
go below the freezing line and as much 
below as is necessary to get a firm base. 
Ordinarily from three to four feet is 
sufficient for small engines from four 
to twelve horse power. Larger sized 
engines from 15 to 40 horse power from 
four to six feet is not too much. 

116. DIMENSIONS OF A FOUNDA- 
TION. — A good rule is to make the 
length of the foundation in the bottom 
twice the length of the engine base. 
The width in the bottom may be two 
and a fourth times the width of the en- 
gine base. The foundation should be 
brought up on a batter or incline from 
the bottom to the floor line or level of 
the ground. 

117. It should then be covered with a 
capstone from eight to twelve inches 
thick, according to the size of the en- 
gine. The foundation may be capped 
with good, heavy timber where a stone 
can not be conveniently had. You un- 
derstand, of course, that it is always 
desirable to have the capstone or tim- 
bers from two to six inches wider than 
the engine base and from six to twelve 
inches longer, so that when the engine 



THE PRACTICAL GAS ENGINEER. 35 

is placed on top the cap extends be- 
yond the engine base from one to three 
inches on each side, say one inch for a 
4 horse power and three inches for a 
40 horse power. 

118. The height of the foundation and 
capstone above the ground level or 
floor line should be sufficient to clear 
the fly-wheels or prevent them from 
hanging to the floor by from two to 
three inches. 

119. A concrete foundation, if properly 
constructed, is the best. While found- 
ations are usually built of brick or 
stone laid in cement, a foundation 
may be of concrete, mixed as follows: 
One part of cement, two parts sand, 
five parts finely cracked stone or coarse 
gravel is first class. Foundations built 
with frozen mortar or concrete are no 
good. Avoid freezing weather while 
building your foundation. 

120. ANCHOR BOLTS.— The number 
and size are usually determined by the 
builder of the engine and indicated by 
the holes he drills into the engine base 
to receive them. They should be long 
enough to extend from the bottom of 
the foundation to from two and a half 
to four inches above the capstone or 
timber. 

121. They should be screwed into a 
good-sized iron anchor plate at the 
bottom and threaded on top to receive 
a nut. An anchor plate six to eight 



36 THE PRACTICAL GAS ENGINEER. 

inches wide and ten to fifteen inches 
long with a hole in the center tapped 
out or threaded, into which the rod is 
screwed and riveted, makes an excel- 
lent anchorage. 

122. It is regarded good practice when 
setting the anchor bolts before build- 
ing the foundation to set the anchor 
plates on small base stone or solid 
wooden block as large or larger than 
the anchor plate. Also to slip a piece 
of iron pipe (with an inside diameter 
an inch larger than the rod) over each 
bolt. This pipe should extend from 
the anchor plate to the top of the 
foundation, but not to the top of the 
rod. 

123. A TEMPLET should be made with 
the holes the exact diameter of the 
rod, and distances between them ex- 
actly as the holes in the engine base. 
The nuts are then run on to the top of 
each bolt down far enough so as to let 
about two inches of the bolt extend 
above the nut. The bolts are then set 
in position and stayed at the top by 
slipping the top of each into the cor- 
responding hole in the templet, the 
nut serving as a rest for the templet. 
Line up the bolts with the line shaft or 
building, stay the templet in that posi- 
tion and proceed to build the founda- 
tion around the bolts. 

124. After the foundation is completed 
and it is determined that each bolt is 



THE PRACTICAL GAS ENGINEER. 37 

in exact position to enter the corres- 
ponding hole in the engine base, the 
pipe around the bolt may be filled with 
slush cement, which when set will stay 
the bolts firmly. 

125. Three or four days after the found- 
ation is completed, and the cement 
firmly set, the engine may be placed 
in position, and bolted down for work. 

126. LINING UP THE ENGINE with 
the shaft 3 and vice versa, is of utmost 
importance, and it should be done just 
right, if the drive belt is expected to 
run true and give good service. There- 
fore if the line shaft is in position it 
is well to take the precaution to see 
that the drive pulley on the engine and 
the driven pulley on the line shaft are 
in line before bolting down the engine. 

127. This is done by stretching a line 
from rim to rim on the outer edge of 
the line shaft pulley and extending the 
line to the outer rim and across it on 
the engine pulley. This line should 
just touch the two opposite points on 
each pulley. 

128. A better way is to line the engine 
shaft with the line shaft as follows: 
Drop two lines from the same edge or 
side of the line shaft as far apart as the 
length of the engine shalt. Drop the 
weight on end of each of these lines 
into a pail of water on the floor to 
keep them from swinging. Then 
measure with tape line, or, better, with 



S£ THE PRACTICAL GAS ENGINEER. 

pole, from each line to the center on 
each end of engine shaft. These dis- 
sances should measure exactly alike. 

129. PIPING OR CONNECTING UP 
AN ENGINE consists of piping up the 
fuel, piping away the exhaust and pip- 
ing water to and from the engine, if 
water is used for cooling purposes, 
and it is practically used for cooling 
all stationary engines up to the pres- 
ent time. 

130. In making the WATER CONNEC- 
TIONS pipe of the size indicated by the 
ports in the water jacket should be used 
unless hydrant water is employed un- 
der pressure, then smaller pipe may be 
used. 

131. Valves should always be fitted into 
the pipe line so as to allow shutting 
the water off for drainage purposes. 

132. When a cooling tank is used the 
valves should be as near the tank as 
they can be placed, so that the pipes 
leading to the engine can be drained. 

133. A pipe with a valve and union 
should lead from the lower part of the 
tank to the threaded inlet port, some- 
where in the under part of the water 
jacket of the engine, and a pipe from 
the outlet port in the top of the cylin- 
der or jacket to the top of the taijk. 

134. The water passes from the tank to 
the engine through the lower pipe, and 
as it it becomes heated it rises into the 
upper pipe and flows back into the top 
of the tank. 



THE PRACTICAL GAS ENGINEER. 39 

135. This circulation is caused by one 
of Nature's laws. Cold water is 
heavier than hot water, and as the 
cylinder heats the water it gets lighter 
and the cold and heavier water natur- 
ally crowds in below and forces the 
heated water through the upper pipe 
to the tank. Therefore the hottest 
water is always at the top of the tank. 

136. PIPE CONNECTIONS FOR THE 
USE OP HYDRANT WATER are as 
follows: The inlet pipe from the hy- 
drant to the same point on the engine 
as in the tank system, with valve and 
union to guard against freezing by 
draining the cylinder and pipes at- 
tached. 

137. The overflow pipe from the top of 
the cylinder should be led into a waste 
trough or pipe somewhere m such a 
manner as to expose to view the stream 
of water leaving the engine. 

138. The pressure from a hydrant is 
often sufficient to force too much cold 
water through the water chamber, 
keeping the cylinder too cool and re- 
sulting in a loss of power. The valve 
in the inlet pipe should be used to 
throttle the stream to the engine. 

139. Where a very limited quantity of 
water only can be allowed, as in port- 
able engines or automobiles, a circu- 
lating pump and fan are sometimes 
used. 

140. PIPE CONNECTIONS FOR FUEL, 
IN A GAS ENGINE are: Regulator, 



40 THE PRACTICAL GAS ENGINEER. 

gas bag, valve or stop cock and piping 
of the proper size to meet the require- 
ments of the engine. 

141. Where natural gas is u&ed for fuel 
it is always desirable to use a REGU- 
IjATOK. However, we find purchasers 
who prefer to run their chances of hav- 
ing all kinds of trouble with their en- 
gine, which a gas regulator would ob- 
viate, rather than go tc the expense of 
putting in a gas regulator. It is need- 
ed where gas pressure is liable to vary. 

142. Either the gasometer or one of the 
many diaphragm and valve regulators 
may be used successfully, provided 
they allow a sufficient volume of gas 
at low pressure, say, for instance, not 
to exceed eight ounces to the square 
inch. 

143. Tne stop-cock, gas bag and regu- 
lator are connected into the pipe from 
the engine outward in the order just 
named. First, a short nipple of pipe, 
say from four to six inches long, is 
screwed into the inlet port on the en- 
gine, onto it the stop-cock, then an- 
other piece of pipe to bring the gas 
bag at some convenient and suitable 
point, then the gas bag (and it is better 
to have it within two or three feet of 
the engine), then more pipe and finally 
the regulator. 

144. The GAS BAG may be a good rub- 
ber bag made completely of rubber, or 
it may be made of an iron frame with 
rubber diaphragm such as some engine 
builders use. 



THE PRACTICAL GAS ENGINEER. 41 

145. When gasoline is the fuel there are 
two common methods in use for bring- 
ing the gasoline to the engine, namely: 
The Pump and Gravity Systems. The 
GRAVITY SYSTEM consists of pip- 
ing the elevated supply tank to the 
engine and letting the gasoline into 
the engine through suitable valves. 
In this method gasoline is supplied to 
the engine by its own weight or 
gravity. 

146. FITTINGS FOR GRAVITY 
METHOD.— If the gravity method is 
used there is an admission valve on 
the engine, re-enforced usually by a 
needle valve. The supply pipe, in- 
cluding globe valve, is connected from 
the inlet port on these valves to the 
supply tank, which is elevated four or 
five feet above the engine and placed 
somewhere on a shelf on the walls of 
the building or some suitable place 
outside. The globe valve should be 
placed near the admission valve so as 
to doubly insure the complete shutting 
off of the gasoline from the engine 
when not in use. 

147. The arrangement of THE PUMP 
SYSTEM consists of a small pump 
fitted to the engine which is designed 
to be piped to the supply tank outside 
of the building, and to draw the gaso- 
line from the tank and force it into the 
Mixer of the engine as it needs it. 

148. The supply tank in this instance is 
located somewhere from three to six 
feet below the engine, and an overflow 



42 THE PRACTICAL GAS ENGINEER. 

pipe is connected to it from the engine 
for the purpose of returning to the 
tank any over supply that may be 
forced up by the pump. 

149. There is a pipe connection between 
the lower part of the supply tank and 
the suction port or valve on the pump, 
and an overflow pipe from the mixing 
or supply cup on the engine to the top 
of the tank. The tank is so placed as 
to allow drainage of all the gasoline in 
the pipes, back to the tank when the 
engine is not in use. 

150. From £ to i inch pipe is used ordi- 
narily, according to the size of the en- 
gine. 

151. Fire Insurance Companies require 
the pump system, with the tank placed 
a certain distance away from the 
building. But the gravity method is 
just as effective in supplying the en- 
gine with fuel and has the advantage 
of less mechanism to get out of order. 
Of course good threaded pipes and ab- 
solutely tight joints should be insisted 
on in these pipe connections for gaso- 
line. 

152. EXHAUST CONNECTIONS.— 
When an engine is installed in a build- 
ing the real object of exhaust pipe 
connections is to get the burnt gases 
and the noise from the exhaust outside 
of the building. And inasmuch as the 
noise is very undesirable in many local- 
ities, it is the custom of nearly all en- 
gine builders to supply, with their en- 



THE PRACTICAL GAS ENGINEER. 43 

gines, a large iron Drum, into which 
the pipe from the engine is connected 
and which serves as a muffler to the 
exhaust reports. 

153. MUFFLERS of different kinds are 
used on portable and automobile en- 
gines. They are usually arranged to 
screw onto the end of the exhaust pipe 
and consist of an iron casing, enclos- 
ing f a series of small cavities, which 
are freely connected with the inlet and 
also with the many small openings 
which serve as an outlet. The object 
in such a muffler is to break the force 
of the exhaust pressure and let it into 
the open air through many small open- 
ings. 

154. PIPING THE EXHAUST INTO 
A FLUE OR CHIMNEY OF A BUING- 
ING. — There may be very serious ob- 
jections urged against this practice. 
Unless the flue has a large caliber, 
with a good draught, it should not be 
considered at all. 

155. There is always more or less exper- 
imenting necessary where an inexperi- 
enced hand is learning to run a gas 
engine. And he may turn the engine 
over, admitting charges and forcing 
them out of the exhaust pipe into the 
flue a number of times before igniting 
one of them, and when the ignition 
does occur the flue is charged with 
gas, which lets go with such force as 
to wreck the flue and sometimes the 
building. 



44 THE PRACTICAL GAS ENGINEER. 

156. Thb sooner gas engine builders and 
purchasers get the idea out of their 
heads that "any old thing" is good 
enough the better it will be for every 
one concerned. 

157. Piping the exhaust into a well or 
cistern if properly done is all right. I 
should suggest, however, in such in- 
stances that before it is done it is 
known that the water never rises to a 
point to interfere with the exhaust. 

158. In fact, to be on the safe side the 
entire space in the cistern or well 
should be free from water at all times. 
A good tight cement covering with a 
good sized vent should be arranged. 

159. A box two by two by four feet 
buried in the ground endwise and filled 
with clean pebbles or stones in sizes 
from that of a hen's egg to that of a 
man's fist makes an excellent muffler 
for an engine up to 25 h. p. The ex- 
haust pipe should, of course, be led 
into the lower part of this muffler and 
water excluded at all times. 

160. A box two feet square inside, ten 
feet long, made of heavy (two inch) 
plank, without bottom, buried in the 
ground, and the exhaust from the en- 
gine piped into one end, and a short 
pipe from the other end as a vent, 
makes a very effective muffler. No 
stone is used in this box — just the 
hollow in the box with ground floor. 
The entire box should be buried to a 
depth of two feet. 



THE PRACTICAL GAS ENGINEER. 45 

161. The exhaust connections are simply 
a pipe of the proper size leading from 
the exhaust valve port to the exhaust 
drum and from another port in the 
drum to the outside of the building, or 
underground muffler if one is used, and 
thence to the outside. 

162. It is well to place the exhaust drum 
as near to the engine as possible and 
get to the outside of the building by 
the shortest convenient route. Long 
exhaust pipes have no tendency to 
improve the running qualities of the 
engine. 

163. The end of the exhaust pipe should 
be left- free and open, where an ex- 
haust drum is used, except that it is 
good practice to screw a l 'T" onto the 
end of the pipe and a short nipple 
into each end of this "T," which serves 
the double purpose of protecting the 
pipe from snow, rain and ice, and re- 
lieves the exhaust by two openings in- 
stead of one. 

164. For the purpose of explaining more 
fully, I wish to modify my previous 
statement against the use of long ex- 
haust pipes. The advice is pro per with 
practically all engines built in this 
country up to the present time. 

165. SCAVENGING ENGINES.— Plaus- 
ible claims are made for the scaveng- 
ing engines, some of which are coming 
into use. The object of scavenging is 
to free the clearance space or combus- 
tion chamber from burnt gases each 



46 THE PRACTICAL GAS ENGINEER. 

time before another fresh charge is 
admitted. 

166. It is recommended that an exhaust 
pipe of sufficient length and propor- 
tions will cause a succession of waves 
in the outward rush of the exhaust 
gases, which tend to create a partial 
vacuum in the clearance space, and 
thereby practically free it from burnt 
gases. I will not go into detail of the 
scavenging engine, as practically all 
are non-scavenging up to the present 
time, and there is no indication of the 
scavengers coming into immediate use, 
in America at least. 

167. TUBE IGNITOR.— The tube igni- 
tor consists of a TUBE closed at one 
end and threaded and open at the 
other, a cast iron chimney, a gas or 
gasoline burner, pipe connections from 
the gas supply to the burner or to a 
small gasoline supply tank elevated 
five or six feet. 

169. The tube is anywhere from 5 inches 
to 12 inches long and from i to f inch 
in diameter. It is made either of com- 
mon gas pipe or nickel alloy, some- 
times called composition tubing. The 
threaded and open end of the tube is 
screwed into an opening which com- 
municates with the interior of the 
cylinder or firing chamber. This makes 
a continuous passage from the combus- 
tion chamber up in the hollow of the 
tube to its closed end. 

170. It is intended to keep this tube at 



THE PRACTICAL GAS ENGINEER. 47 

a red heat while the engine is running. 
This is done by means of the cast iron 
chimney, which is fitted on so as to en- 
tirely enclose this tube, and a burner 
fitted into the lower part of this chim- 
ney so as to direct a jet or Bunsen 
flame against the lower end of the tube. 

171. The top of the chimney may be 
capped with numerous small vent holes 
in the cap. The inside of the chimney 
is lined with asbestos sheet, the object 
of which is to retain the heat and con- 
fine the flame immediately around the 
tube as much as possible. 

172. The burner should be so constructed 
as to deliver a bright blue flame around 
the tube, which should become heated 
to a cherry red heat in from three to 
five minutes after it is lighted. The 
burner is usually fitted with a valve 
with which to control the flame, but 
the pipe connections from the burner 
to the gasoline supply tank or to the 
gas supply should contain a valve as a 
means of shutting off the full supply 
from the burner when the engine is not 
in use. 

173. The object in elevating the gasoline 
supply tank is to give sufficient pres- 
sure at the burner or generator to 

throw thejet of gas with some force 
against the tube. 

174. The point in the length of the tube 
at which the flame should be directed 
depends on the compression pressure 
in the cylinder. If there is a high 



*S THE PRACTICAL GAS ENGINEER. 

compression pressure the firing point 
on the tube should be naturally higher 
up because the fresh charge forces its 
way higher up into the tube on a high 
than on a low compression. 

175. You understand that the tube al- 
ways remains filled with burnt gases 
when the ordinary tube igniting engine 
exhausts the bnrnt charge. The fresh 
charge then has to crowd up against 
this burnt gas in the tube, which serves 
as a cushion, and drives it into the 
upper part of the tube until the fresh 
gas meets the red hot part of the tube, 
when ignition occurs. You will there- 
fore see that if the compression in an 
engine is light it can not force the 
fresh charge as high into the tube, and 
consequently the tube should be heated 
lower down. 

176. Some builders are now making ad- 
justable chimneys, to which the burner 
is fastened, which can be moved up or 
down and fixed so as to direct the flame 
against any point on the tube to suit 
the compression. 

177. What would I do if I had an engine 
with a fixed flame point? I should try 
tubes of different lengths until one 
was found that gave the best results. 
If preignition occurs it may not be 
possible to correct the trouble by 
changing the length of the tube, and 
something must be devised to raise the 
fiame point higher on the tube. 

178. ELECTRIC IGNITCR.— The elec 



THE PRACTICAL GAS ENGINEER. 49 

trie igniting outfit consists of a SPARK 
COIL, a CURRENT BREAKER or 
SWITCH, from fifteen to forty feet of 
insuiut.ed copper wire, about No. 14, a 
battery or small dynamo, which gener- 
ates the current, and the sparking 
mechanism on the engine, which has 
already been described. 

179. THE SPARK COIL is a bundle of 
soft Iron Wires, cut all the same length, 
anywhere from five to ten inches long. 
The ends of this bundle of wires are 
inserted into a round hole, in a small 
block of wood, of just the exact size 
to receive all the wires and hold them 
firmly together in the shape of a round 
bundle, 

180. This bundle is covered with a sheath 
of pasteboard, around which is wrap- 
ped closely and evenly from end to end 
between the blocks successive layers 
of one continuous piece of insulated 
wire. The two ends of this insulated 
wire are fastened to separate binding 
posts which are mounted on one end 
of the blocks. These blocks are then 
screwed firmly to a small base board, 
so as to hold all parts of the coil firmly 
in position. 

181. It serves the purpose of resistance 
to the current, without which an ignit- 
ing spark can not be made. 

182. If the length of insulated wire is 
properly proportioned to the bundle of 
soft wire the coil also serves to allow a 
shorter contact of the terminal points, 



50 THE PRACTICAL GAS ENGINEER. 

which in turn prevents waste of cur- 
rent and wear of the points, which are 
both items of considerable expense if 
not carefully guarded. A short coil four 
to six inches long meets all the require- 
ments. 

183. A SWITCH is simply a block of 
wood or porcelain mounted with two 
binding posts and a connecting lever, 
which is permanently connected to one 
binding post and may be connected or 
disconnected with the other binding 
post at will. 

184. Its purpose is to switch the current 
on to the engine for work or to cut it 
out and insure against short circuit 
when the engine is not in use 

185. ELECTRIC CONNECTIONS to the 
sparking device on the engine. — One 
eod of the wire which is to carry the 
current should be connected to the 
binding post on the insulated terminal 
or electrode, the other wire is attached 
to the other binding post, which is 
usually placed at some convenient 
point on the engine by the builders. 

186. If there is but one binding post sup- 
plied on the engine, then the second 
wire may be attached firmly to any 
bright point on the engine which is 
convenient, or it may even be fastened 
around one of the gasoline or water 
pipes if they are not painted. 

1£7. The insulation must always be 
stripped o5 of the end that is to be 



THE PRACTICAL GAS ENGINEER. 51 

fastened and the connection made with 
the bare end of the wires. 

188. The wire from the insulated termi- 
nal binding post is then carried to the 
spark coil and connected to one of its 
binding posts. From the other bind- 
ing post on the spark coil a piece of 
wire is carried to the first cell of the 
battery and connected to its positive 
or carbon binding post or to the same 
on dynamo. 

189. This makes one connection between 
the engine and the battery or dynamo, 
whichever is used for ignition pur- 
poses. 

190. Another wire is carried from the 
negative point on dynamo, or zinc bind- 
ing post on battery, to one of the switch 
binding posts, and from the other switch 
binding post to the engine. The switch 
may be fastened at some convenient 
place on the wall. 

191. The two wires from the battery or 
dynamo to the engine, one containing 
the coil and the other the switch, com- 
pletes the circuit. 

192. IN CONNECTING THE BAT- 
TERY all the cells between the first 
and last must be connected up in a 
series with short pieces of insulated 
wire, as follows: From the zinc bind- 
ing post on the first cell to the copper 
binding post on the second; from zinc 
on second to copper on third, and so 
on until all are connected. 

193. If a FLUID CELL BATTERY is 



52 THE PRACTICAL GAS ENGINEER. 

used it must be charged, which con 
sists of first making a solution with 
the chemical used for that purpose and 
soft water. After each cell is nearly 
filled with this solution the metal 
bases, such as zinc and carbon, which 
are usually attached to the lid of the 
cell, are lowered into the solution in 
the cell. Then it is ready to be con- 
nected up in the series. All fluid bat- 
teries are accompanied with instruc- 
tion sheets. 

194. It has been the general custom to 
use fluid batteries, but several DRY 
CELL batteries have recent] y been in- 
troduced which bid fair to become 
formidable rivals of the fluid cell. 

195. There are also the little SPARK- 
ING DYNAMO and MAGNETO, which 
are successfully used in many instances 
for gas engine ignition. Also the HOT 
TUBE. 

196. There are so many points to be con- 
sidered in this connection that it would 
not be fair to our readers to attempt to 
recommend either device above the 
other. 

197. The ignition of a gas engine is a 
source of repair expense, no matter 
what source of electrical energy is 
used. Each arrangement has its dis- 
advantages as well as its advantages. 
Economy, safety, attention, conveni- 
ence, cleanliness and reliability are the 
principal points to be considered. 

198. The location and surroundings 



THE PRACTICAL GAS ENGINEER. 53 

would probably determine my prefer- 
ence. For instance, in the natural gas 
fields, where fuel is very cheap, I 
might decide on the hot tube ignition. 
Away off in the country where gaso- 
line is the fuel and somewhat expen- 
sive, I think a good dry cell battery 
would about meet the conditions. In 
the city where electricians are to be 
easily had when repairs are necessary 
the magneto or dynamo would, in my 
opinion, more nearly meet the require- 
ments. The fluid cell is a sort of 
mother over all the others because it 
has been most generally employed in 
this country. 

199. By the foregoing statement I do not 
mean to convey the idea that the fluid 
battery is more desirable than others, 
only that it holds sort of a pre-empted 
claim now by reason of having been 
more generally used in the past. 

200. I wish to make this assertion, that 
I can operate a gas engine successfully 
on either method of ignition anywhere, 
with economy possibly in favor of the 
dynamo if it is well constructed, but it 
may require more attention than the 
battery. (See special chapter on Dy- 
namo and Magneto Ignition. ) 

201. Either method, as before stated, 
has its advantages and disadvantages, 
and my advice to my readers is, that, 
whichever method you may be called 
upon to use, inform yourselves as 
quickly as possible on its disadvan- 



54 THE PRACTICAL GAS ENGINEER. 

tages, and overcome them as nearly as 
possible. 

202. I doubt not that the reader now 
thinks we have reached the point of 
starting the engine and is anxious "to 
see the wheels go round.'' But you 
will be more highly delighted in seeing 
them turn if you have first learned and 
attended to all the preliminaries. A 
good engineer never omits one of them; 
a bungler omits all of them. 

203. These PRELIMINARIES are AR- 
RANGEMENT, CLEANLINESS, 
WATER, OILING. Under arrange- 
ment comes the old adage, "A place 
for everything and everything in its 
place." The condition of the engine- 
room portrays the character of the 
person in charge. A BAD RUNNING 
ENGINE, waste, wrenches, oil cans, 
litter in general scattered promiscu- 
ously over the floor of the engine-room 
indicates a bungler not worthy the 
name of engineer. 

204. An engine-room with plenty of 
light, everything in apple-pie order, 
trim, clean and neat, means a nice run- 
ning engine and a For- Sure Engineer. 

205. Cleanliness contributes so much to 
the successful running of an engine 
that it can not be TOO FIRMLY IM- 
PRESSED on the mind. The com- 
panion of cleanliness is PLENTY OF 
LIGHT. Darkness and dirt go hand 
in hand. 

206. Therefore with plenty of light in 



THE PRACTICAL, GAS ENGINEER. 55 

the engine-room it should be cleaned 
up and made as free as possible from 
dust and grit. After this the engine 
should be thoroughly cleaned all over, 
giving special attention to the Cog or 
Spiral Gears, governor, valve stems 
and valve cams. On account of damp- 
ness these working parts often become 
rusted in shipment, and will not work 
properly until cleaned. 

207. The water supply should be noticed 
to see if the tank is full to the over- 
flow pipe, and in cold weather to see 
that none of the pipes are frozen up. 

208. Then comes the oiling of the en- 
gine, which should be done in a thor- 
ough manner. Use ordinary machine 
oil on the various parts of the engine, 
EXCEPT IN THE CYLINDER. A 
special cylinder oil for gas engines 
only should be used. 

209. Steam cylinder oil is not well 
adapted to a gas engine cylinder. A 
light thin cylinder oil, of high fire test, 
is best adapted to use in the gas en- 
gine cylinder. It is usually much less 
expensive than heavy steam cylinder 
oil. Some gas engines are fitted at the 
wrist and journal boxes with grease 
cups, which should be filled with shaft- 
ing or graphite grease and set so as to 
feed automatically. 

210. When oil and grease cups are filled 
and all bearing parts that are liable to 
wear are oiled, the VALVE STEMS 
should be tried by lifting the valve 



56 THE PRACTICAL GAS ENGINEER. 

pallet from its seat a number of times 
after squirting some kerosene oil on 
the stem from a squirt can. These 
stems should be frequently examined 
and kerosene oil used only occasionally 
to keep them clean. Never use ordi- 
nary lubricating oil on them. The 
heat simply burns it and leaves a 
gummy deposit on the stem which in- 
terferes with the free movement of the 
valve. 

211. STARTING IS NEXT IN ORDER. 
Practically all the small- sized engines 
from two to ten-horse power are 
started, as it is called, by hand. Some 
engine builders fit their engines over 
ten horse-power with a starter, which, 
in some instances, is more alluring to 
the purchaser than practical. 

212. The first act in starting a gas en- 
gine by hand after switching in the 
battery current is to get a charge of 
gas and air, properly mixed, into the 
cylinder. This is accomplished by 
opening the gas or gasoline valve 
slightly so as to admit a small portion 
of the fuel as the receiving valves are 
opened when the fly wheels are turned 
over at a rapid rate. 

213. Where gasoline is the fuel some 
manufacturers supply a starting cup, 
which fits on the mouth of the air or 
receiving pipe, and instead of opening 
the needle valve a small portion of gas- 
oline (about a tablespoonf ul) is put into 
the cup and placed on the mouth of th^ 



THE PRACTICAL, GAS ENGINEER. 57 

receiving pipe, and when the wheels 
are turned over the air rushes through 
the gasoline in the cup, and the engine 
receives its first two or three impulses 
from the fuel in the cup, which gives 
it sufficient momentum to keep it going 
until the cup can be taken off and the 
gasoline from the needle or throttle 
valve is admitted, from which the en- 
gine gathers full speed. 

214. You have no doubt heard persons 
say that they have to turn their engine 
for half an hour or more before they 
can get it going. If such persons 
knew that they are simply proclaiming 
their astounding lack of judgment they 
would not be telling it. 

215. But, you say, if the engine fails to 
ignite its first, its second and its third 
charges, is it not policy to keep turn- 
ing the wheel until it does ignite? If 
neither of the first three or four 
charges are ignited the cause of non- 
ignition will not be removed by turn- 
ing the wheel, and will probably be 
getting worse the longer you turn, and 
the fellow who does not know what 
else to do but turn ought to be com- 
pelled to turn vigorously until his 
tongue hangs out of his mouth to the 
length of a full-grown lead pencil. If 
such exertion doesn't start his thinker, 
his case is probably hopeless. 

216. If an engine doesn't ignite its first 
charges there is a cause for it, and no 
amount of turning will locate it, but a 



58 THE PRACTICAL GAS ENGINEER. 

little common-sense thinking will not 
only locate but remove the cause, and 
the engine will do its own turning 
after the first two or four revolutions. 

217. You would like to know why I say 
four. If common- sense will do it, after 
allowing one revolution to admit the 
charge and gain the momentum, why 
not always start or ignite the second 
revolution? There is no such thing as 
absolute perfection even in common- 
sense, but four, and occasionally six, 
revolutions for ignition may come 
within the bounds of practical perfec- 
tion. However, I know of many gas 
engine operators who seldom turn the 
wheel more than the second tima 

218. The engineer who knows his lesson 
well will know that there are many im- 
proper adjustments and irregularities 
that will cause failure of ignition on 
the first turn, and will avoid them, and 
as they are of sufficient importance to 
require special attention we had better 
finish starting the engine in a normal 
condition and take this subject up 
later. 

219. TURNING OVER COMPRESSION 
POINT. — Nearly all engines are pro- 
vided either with a relief valve or a 
shifting cam or lever, which makes a 
relief out of the exhaust valve. By 
means of these valves only the latter 
part of the compression stroke serves 
the purpose, inasmuch as the former 
part is relieved by an open valve. 



THE PRACTICAL GAS ENGINEER. 59 

This allows sufficient compression to 
start with and makes resistance at this 
point barely perceptible in turning. 

220. Others prefer to inhale a charge by 
a one-half turn of the wheel on the 
outward movement of the piston, then 
by disengaging the receiving valve 
lever from its cam a rapid backward 
movement of the wheel, and the piston 
compresses the charges, and fires it 
from the tube ignitor, or the electric 
spark, by snapping the sparker quickly 
by hand while on compression. 

221. The ignition of this charge drives 
the piston rapidly forward and gives 
the wheels sufficient momentum to 
carry several revolutions and catch the 
next ctiarge. 

222. Where a relief lever cam or valve 
is used the impulses are necessarily 
light while the valve is relieving the 
compression, and the lever should be 
shifted and the valve closed as soon as 
the wheels have gathered sufficient 
momentum to carry over the full com- 
pression. 

223. Instead of having the engine inhale 
its own charge by turning the wheel, 
some builders fit their engines with a 
small HAND AIR PUMP for the pur- 
pose of pumping the first charge into 
the cylinder. The air thus pumped 
passes through a receptacle contain- 
ing gasoline, which serves as a carbu- 
retter and charges the air sufficiently 
with gasoline to make it explosive. 



60 THE PRACTICAL GAS ENGINEER. 

After the cylinder receives its charge 
from the pump, the valve in the pump 
connection is closed, and the wheels 
backed up on compression, the charge 
is fired as before described, or by 
means of a match ignitor. 

224. THE MATCH IGNITOR consists 
of a little tube containing a plunger 
and closed solidly at one end except 
two side notches near the end, and 
fitted at the other end with a packing 
gland through which the stem of the 
plunger extends to the outside. The 
end of this stem is fitted with a button. 

225. The tube being threaded is screwed 
into a port into the cylinder walls and 
the notched end of it extends into the 
combustion chamber. 

226. The head of the match is placed 
under the plunger and the button 
tapped with the hand, dashing the 
plunger down onto the match head, 
and the resulting flash ignites the first 
charge in the cylinder through the side 
notches in the tube. 

227. A somewhat different deviee is used 
by some engines, but the principle is 
the same exactly. 

228. You, of course, understand that 
this is used only for igniting the in- 
itial charge, and consequently is only 
a starter. 

229. The compressed air starter consists 
of a tank with a capacity two or three 
times that of the engine cylinder, and 
an air pump, which is driven usually 



THE PRACTICAL GAS ENGINEER. 61 

by a belt from the line shaft, fills the 
tank with air to a pressure of from sixty 
to one hundred pounds, which is indi- 
cated by a pressure gauge on the tank. 
The tank is filled when the engine is 
running and held ready for the next 
start. 

230. The pipe leading from the tank to 
the compression chamber in the cylin- 
der is fitted with a handle valve that 
can be manipulated quickly. 

231. When ready to start, the engine is 
set with the piston back in the cylin- 
der, the crank shaft about two inches 
above the inner center, and the valves 
closed. Of course the cylinder valves 
must remain closed on the first out- 
ward movement of the piston. * 

232. When the engine is set all ready to 
receive the charge from the tank and 
the battery current switched on ready 
for ignition, the valve between the en- 
gine and tank is quickly opened, throw- 
ing the pressure from the tank into the 
cylinder, which drives the piston for- 
ward. By closing the valve at the end 
of the piston stroke the act may be re- 
peated at the second revolution follow- 
ing, giving impulse sufficient to catch 
a charge of gas and air with the igni- 
tor on the third or fourth revolution. 

233. This compressed air starter is only 
used on engines above 15 h. p. 

234. The same arrangement with a 
smaller tank and much less pressure 
can be used successfully by fitting a 



62 THE PRACTICAL, GAS ENGINEER. 

little cup, for the purpose of holding 
gasoline, into the pipe between the 
tank and engine, and as the air rushes 
from the tank into the cylinder it is 
charged with gasoline and may be ex- 
ploded by the Electric Spark or ignit- 
ing mechanism. 

235. The Compressed Air method seems 
the most practical for starting larger 
sized engines. While it makes the first 
cost of an engine higher, it is well 
worth its price to the purchaser. 

236. It is supposed, of course, that an 
engine will run all right after it is once 
started, but it doesn't always do it. 
You should run an engine for at least 
a half hour without a load when start- 
ing it the first time. This will give you 
an opportunity to get familiar with it, 
running empty. 

237. If it is receiving its fuel in the 
proper proportions and the ignitor is 
working all right it will go right up to 
its normal speed within a few seconds 
after starting, and if it has a hit and 
miss governor it Will cut out or miss 
three or four charges to every one it 
takes. 

238. If it runs along this way at a 
"merry clip, " taking only one charge 
in three or four and firing every charge 
it takes, you can rest assured that it is 
ready for work. 

239. But if there is a popping or back 
firing into the receiving pipe it may 
need MORE FUEL or the receiving 



THE PRACTICAL GAS ENGINEER. 63 

valve may not close properly, or the 
ignitor may not be set in proper time, 
or is otherwise out of adjustment. 

240. TOO MUCH FUEL, is indicated 
when there is smoke issuing from the 
exhaust pipe and when the charges 
that are taken are not all ignited. 

241. You can shut down a gas engine by 
feeding too much fuel just as readily 
as by not giving it enough. A little 
judgment here will tell any one when 
he is feeding the fuel properly. 

242. It is a mistake to turn on MORE 
FUEL WHEN MORE POWER is 
wanted. When an engine is pulling 
nearly its full load it is cutting out 
only about one charge in five or six. 
By listening closely to the sounds made 
by the engine and at the same time no- 
ticing it closely you will be able to 
judge whether it is running properly 
or whether it lacks the energy it should 
develop. 

243. The COMPRESSION has very much 
to do with the power developed. For 
instance, if the valves are not seating 
properly or the piston rings are poorly 
fitted so as to allow the escape of 
part of the charge compressed and 
also a part of the impulsive force, the 
engine will develop but very little 
more power than to keep itself in mo- 
tion. 

244. About thirty per cent of the entire 
cylinder volume should constitute 
COMPRESSION CHAMBER. If a 



64 THE PRACTICAL GAS ENGINEER. 

high comprossion pressure is desired 
twenty-five or even twenty per cent is 
allowable. 

245. You understand that it is necessary 
in figuring up cylinder volume to con- 
sider all the valve and port space, 
which is practically a part of the cyl- 
inder. The principal objection to a 
high compression is the danger of pre- 
mature firing of charges under a full 
load, which is due to auto-ignition, a 
result of high compression pressure. 

246. HIGH COMPRESSION is some- 
times, but by no means always, the 
cause of premature firing. In fact, I 
might say that it is one of the rare 
causes, because very high compression 
engines are rare. 

247. PREMATURE IGNITION may be 
caused by one thing in one engine and 
an entirely different thing in another. 
Probably the most common cause is 
some projecting point of iron in the 
combustion chamber that becomes red 
hot, which serves to ignite the charge, 
similar to a heated tube. 

248. An improperly proportioned mix- 
ture, resulting in a slow combustion, 
may be so slow as to be still burning 
when the next charge is admitted, and 
then the next charge will be ignited 
just as it is entering the cylinder and 
fire back through the receiving pipe. 

249. Little chunks of burnt carbon, ac- 
cumulating from the burnt cylinder oil, 
in the combustion chamber, may con- 



THE PRACTICAL GAS ENGINEER. 65 

stantly remain heated to the ignition 
point and ignite the charges prema- 
turely. 

250. Points of carbon deposited on any 
projection in the combustion chamber 
will do the same thing. It is, there- 
fore, necessary to occasionally clean 
out the gas engine cylinber. 

251. A CONSTRICTED EXHAUST 
passage may retain a higher degree of 
heat in the cylinder and theredy assist 
in maintaining an igniting heat on some 
projecting point in the combustion 
chamber. But there is a power signifi- 
cance to valves and their passage that 
should determine their size and areas. 

252. Constricted valve passages are a 
decided hindrance to the development 
of power. The valve proportions 
should always be carefully figured 
from piston speed and cylinder area. 

253. The receiving valve area ghould be 
such as to give the ingoing gases a 
speed of from 95 to 110 feet per sec- 
ond. The exhaust gases should leave 
the cylinder at from seventy-five to 
eighty-five feet per second at atmos- 
pheric pressure. * 

254. The exhaust should be larger than 
the inlet valve, because at the moment 
of the opening the exhaust valve there 
is a pressure of from twenty-five to 
thirty-five pounds in the cylinder to 
relieve, and consequently the rush of 
exhaust gases at the moment of release 
is away above 110 feet per second, and 



66 THE PRACTICAL GAS ENGINEER. 

if it had to pass through a constricted 
valve passage it would maintain the 
initial high speed throughout the ex- 
haust stroke of the piston, resulting in 
a piston pressure on the entire exhaust 
stroke. 

255. The point, then, is to figure the ex- 
haust passage of such proportions as 
to relieve the exhaust gases at an 
average speed throughout the exhaust 
stroke of not over 100 feet per second. 
I regret to say that it is common prac- 
tice among manufacturers* in this coun- 
try to make the valves and their pass- 
ages too small. 

256. In a number of engines I had the 
privilege to examine, manufactured by 
different concerns, I found either a 
constricted cylinder port or valve area, 
or both. 

257. It is the height of folly to have a 
good big cylinder port, and choke the 
passage with a "measley" little valve 
or vice versa. 

The passage should be of uniform 
area and of ample capacity from the 
cylinder port to the end of the pipe. 

258. The manufacturer who will not fig- 
ure these valve areas carefully of suffi- 
cient capacity, is cheating his engine 
out of a reputation and his customer 
out of power. 

259. TIMING THE VALVES.— The 
movement of the valves should be 
timed to give the proper results. This 
is an important point for all gas en- 



THE PRACTICAL GAS ENGINEER. 67 

gine operators to remember. The 
valve cams on a four-cycle engine are 
usually driven by the two to one gear 
fitted-onto the crank shaft, and if for 
any reason the gears are taken apart 
and put together, even if only one cog 
out of place, it will throw the valves 
and sparking arrangement out of time. 

260. The manufacturers usually mark a 
TOOTH or COG on one gear and its 
corresponding groove on the other 
with the same mark. These marked 
points should always meet, and the en- 
gine is then properly timed. You can, 

_of course, easily understand how a 
cam and cam roller may become worn 
by constant use so as to throw the 
valve out of time. A worn condition 
means lost motion, which results in 
opening the valve too late and closing 
it too early. 

261. You can test an engine to know if 
it is properly timed by turning the 
wheels over slowly and noticing at 
what point the valves open and close 
and where the igniting points sepa- 

262. ' THE RECIVING VALVE should 
open at the beginning of the outward 
stroke and close at the end of the same 
stroke. The next inward stroke is the 
compression stroke, when all valves 
should be closed. 

263. THE SPARKER POINTS should 
separate and make a spark just before 
the end of the compression stroke is 



68 THE PRACTICAL GAS ENGINEER. 

reached. This is done to allow for the 
instant of time between the making of 
the spark and the resulting combus- 
tion. The force of combustion does 
not come instantaneous with the mak- 
ing of the spark. Therefore the com- 
pression stroke will have ended before 
the force of combustion really begins, 
and the piston just starting on its out- 
ward stroke receives the full expansive 
force of combustion. 

264. If the spark were made just at the 
end of the compression stroke actual 
ignition or expansion would not occur 
until the piston had traveled probably 
a fourth of its outward stroke. This 
delayed combustion could not be as ef- 
fective as if occurring at the very be- 
ginning of the working stroke. 

265. THE EXHAUST VALVE should 
open when about five-sixths of the 
working stroKe is completed, so as to 
relieve the cylinder to something near 
atmospheric pressure at the end of the 
stroke. The exhaust valve should then 
remain open for the entire exhaust 
stroke, and should close just as the re- 
ceiving valve is again opening. 

266. Again I think it proper to refer to 
the question of lubricating the valve 
stems of the gas engine. The work an 
exhaust valve is designed to do makes 
lubricating impracticable. The heat 
passing through the exhaust valve will 
quickly destroy the lubricating quali- 



THE PRACTICAL GAS ENGINEER. 69 

ties of any oil, and therefore it makes 
it useless. 

267. It is, therefore, the custom of gas 
engine builders to make no provision 
for valve lubrication. They can be 
operated successfully without oil. Be- 
fore starting a new engine squirt some 
kerosene oil on the stem and see that 
it moves freely. A good grade of pow- 
dered graphite used on the valves and 
valve stems occasionally would tend to 
improve their working qualities. 

268. All frictional parts should be regu- 
larly lubricated. But the wrist pin 
and cylinder need to be specially look- 
ed after. The oil cups supplying these 
parts should be noticed often during a 
day's run to make sure that the oil is 
supplied and properly distributed. 

269. Insufficient lubrication of the cylin- 
der is often indicated by a peculiar 
blowing, barking noise in the cylinder 
at each impulse. It is due usually to 
a dry piston allowing the force of com- 
bustion to pass the rings. It can often 
be overcome by adjusting the lubri- 
cator for a freer oil supply without 
stopping the engine. 

270. After running a cylinder dry, at the 
first opportunity the piston should be 
taken out, and the rings, their seats 
and the entire piston thoroughly clean- 
ed. At the same time the cylinder 
and combustion chamber should be ex- 
amined with a lighted candle and 



70 THE PRACTICAL GAS ENGINEER. 

cleaned from chunks of burnt lubricat- 
ing oil and deposits of carbon in the 
form of soot. This is also a good time 
to clean the valve and valve ports, as 
well as the igniting apparatus. 

271. Before the piston is returned to the 
cylinder it should be lubricated with 
oil. A good engineerwill seldom have 
this to do, because he will see to it that 
his cylinder is lubricated. 

272. The wrist should run cool. If it 
does not it indicates that lubrication is 
at fault or that it is not properly ad- 
justed. 

273. A good engineer will not rest easy 
until he has located and removed the 
cause of a hot-running crank box. 

274. FUEL CONSUMPTION of an en- 
gine is always a legitimate question, 
and one of grave importance to the 
purchaser, as well as to the manufac- 
turer. 

275. Ordinarily about one and two-tenths 
pints (1 2-10) of gasoline or about fif- 
teen feet of natural gas, per horse 
power per hour under full load, will 
cover the fuel consumption. That is, 
when the gases named are of standard 
quality and the water comes from the 
water jacket at a temperature of about 
160 degrees Fahrenheit. 

276. The temperature of the water in 
the chamber around the cylinder has 
very much to do with fuel consump- 
tion. 



THE PRACTICAL GAS ENGINEER. 71 

277. If water from a hydrant is forced 
around the cylinder so as to keep it 
cold, the heat from the explosions or 
combustion is cooled down so quickly 
by radiation that the expansive force 
is materially reduced, and consequently 
less power from the same charge. 

278. The object of the water is not to 
keep the cylinder Cold, but simply Cool 
enough so as to prevent the lubricat- 
ing oil from burning. The hotter the 
cylinder with effective lubrication the 
more power the engine will develop. 

279. It should also be remembered that 
an engine is the most economical in 
fuel consumption when working prac- 
tically under a full load. 

280. It is wrong to suppose that an en- 
gine taking fifteen feet of gas per horse 
power under a full load should take 
only seven and a half (7i) feet under 
half load. When running empty an 
engine may use from thirty to thirty- 
five per cent of its total fuel consump- 
tion under full load. 

281. Speed has considerable influence 
over fuel consumption, especially in 
driving the engine empty. Take, for 
instance, an engine of four-horse 
power, run it empty at a speed of, say 
250 revolutions per minute, and notice 
its fuel requirements at that speed, 
then increase the speed to 500 revolu- 
tions per minute and you practically 



72 IrHE PRACTICAL. GAS ENGINEER. 

double the fuel consumption running 
the engine alone. 

282. It is not always practical for a man- 
ufacturer to guarantee fuel consump- 
tion. I should say it is seldom, if ever, 
practical to do so without exacting 
from the purchaser conditions and re- 
quirements that would make him feel 
that the engine itself is not practical. 
In general the average fuel consump- 
tion may easily be kept down to the 
quantity above mentioned, although 
many conditions may arise to change 
the amount required. 

283. It is not always the fault of the 
manufacturer if the fuel consumption 
overruns the estimate. It is more 
often the fault of the engineer, in my 
opinion. 

I should advise for economical fuel 
consumption: 

First — To keep jacket water at 160 
degrees Fahrenheit. 

Second — To run engine at a medium 
speed. 

Third — To use a good standard 
fuel. 

Fourth — To see that every charge 
the engine takes is exploded, for which 
a proper mixture and a good spark or 
hot tube are necessary. 

Fifth — The admission valve should 
close properly between charges, so as 
not to allow a continuous flow of fuel 
into the engine. 



THE PRACTICAL GAS ENGINEER. 73 

Sixth — Never throttle the fuel so 
closely that the engine cannot get a 
full charge every time it needs it. 

Seventh — Be sure that there is no 
leak in the supply or overflow pipes 
where fuel can escape. 

Eighth — When gasoline is used be 
sure that there is no leak in the sup- 
ply tank. 

Ninth — Exhaust and Receiving 
Valves must seat properly and not 
leak. Cylinder rings must hold the 
explosive force. 

With these precautions one will use 
only so much as will be required by the 
engine to handle its load. 



PART IV. 



GAS ENGINE TROUBLES. 

284. Following are five gas engine trou- 
bles that are most frequently met with: 
Defective Ignition, Pounding in the 
Cylinder, Loss of Power, Back Firing 
and Obstinate Starting, although the 
last is very often intimately associated 
with the first. 

285. DEFECTIVE IGNITION. — The 
symptoms and causes for defective 
ignition are : Difficult starting, thump- 



74 THE PRACTICAL GAS ENGINEER. 

ing in the cylinder and an occasional 
terrific report at the end of the exhaust 
pipe, Miss Firing, Premature Firing. 
It must not be taken for granted, 
however, that difficult starting is al- 
ways due to defective ignition. But 
when an engine refuses to start after 
turning the wheels several times defec- 
tive ignition may be suspected, and the 
igniting apparatus should b© looked 

286. REMEDIES FOR DEFECTIVE 
IGNITION.— If a tube ignitor is used 
and the charge is fired too early, throw- 
ing the wheels backward, the flame 
should be raised so as to heat the tube 
at a higher point. If the charge isn't 
fired at all, then the flame may be 
directed at a lower point on the tube. 
But in either event it is always best to 
have the tube quite hot (bright red hot) 
when starting. It can be cooled to a 
cherry red after the engine is running 
and yet fire its charges successfully. 
The port or passage between cylinder 
and tube must always be free and 
unobstructed. It sometimes clogs 
with burnt carbon. Sometimes the 
builder makes this port too small. 
Clean if ^obstructed. Enlarge it if 
necessary. 

287. When the battery is used for igni- 
tion purposes the timing of the spark 
is always important. The terminals 
should separate just before the crank 



THE PRACTICAL, GAS ENGINEER. 75 

passes the inner center. The switch 
may be disconnected. Some of the 
wires may be loose on their binding 
posts. The terminals or the movable 
terminal shaft may be gummed up or 
corroded and needs cleaning. The 
battery may be nearly exhausted and 
needs renewing. The current may be 
short circuited somewhere before 
reaching the engine. 

288. SHORT CIRCUIT.— If the zinc 
plates or any one of them should be 
allowed to touch the carbon within 
the cell it will cause an internal short 
circuit. If one wire from the battery 
to the engine should have its insula- 
tion broken at a point where it touches 
some pipe or iron that in any way com- 
municates with the other wire, there is 
an external short circuit. Broken in- 
sulation W3:f short circuit the spark 
coil. 

289* The Battery current is tested by 
disconnecting the end of one of the ter- 
minal wires and touching with it the 
binding post to which the other wire is 
attached. If it does not make a bright 
spark each time the wire is snapped or 
slipped off the binding post you can 
be sure that some of the causes above 
named are to be found, and as soon as 
the cause is removed the spark will 
show up all right. 

290. If there is a good spark on the ends 
of the wires and a weak one or none at 



76 THE PRACTICAL GAS ENGINEER. 

all at the point of contact of the termi- 
nals it indicates that the trouble is in 
the sparking mechanism on the engine. 
This mechanism is either corroded, 
gummy or short circuited. It should 
be thoroughly cleaned and closely ex- 
amined for a short circuit. Carbon de- 
posit coating over the insulation on 
inside of exploding chamber may cause 
a short circuit. 

291. The SPARKER INSULATION can 
easily be tested by disconnecting the 
wire NOT attached to the insulated 
terminal and snapping it off some of 
the bright parts of the engine, when 
the terminals are apart (the other wire 
being of course, attached to the 
binding post on the insulated ter- 
minal), and if a spark is made it indi- 
cates that the insulation is broken and 
consequently a short circuit. If no 
spark is made the insulation is all 
right. 

292. There should be nothing loose or 
no lost motion about the terminals or 
the mechanism operating them. 

293. Either a good fluid or dry cell bat- 
tery will furnish a good spark from 
two to six months, according to the 
amount of work done with the engine. 
If the engine is used continuously for 
ten hours each day the battery may 
need renewing any time after two or 
three months. 

294. I have on several different occa- 



THE PRACTICAL, GAS ENGINEER, 7? 

sions found engines that absolutely re- 
fused to start when the battery and all 
connections seemed to be in good con- 
dition, but went off and ran perfectly 
from the first turn of the wheel after a 
new spark coil was placed in the cir- 
cuit. The short circuit in the old coil 
was so deep down among the coils of 
wire that it could not be detected. 

295. The character or appearance of the 
spark, and especially if of a scattering 
nature, should lead you to suspect a 
short circuited coil. An EFFECTIVE 
or GOOD igniting spark is a SINGLE 
BLUE-WHITE SPAKK at the point 
of contact. But beware of a dozen 
little sparks flying out in all directions 
from the terminals. They will not 
ignite. 

296. A battery may not be entirely ex 
hausted when it fails to give an ignit- 
ing spark. The fluid in the cell may 
have evaporated so that the carbon 
element is not sufficiently submerged. 
I have repeatedly revived fluid bat- 
teries that were apparently exhausted 
by simply filling into each cell pure 
rain water to within one-half inch of 
the lid of the cell. 

297. An old battery that has net been 
used for a long time, and in which the 
elements seem good, may be treated 
this way, and afterwards ghort cir- 
cuited for about three or five minutes. 

298. In fact in renewing a battery or 



78 THE PRACTICAL GAS ENGINEER. 

setting up a new one it is always good 
policy to short circuit it for from 
three to five minutes by bringing the 
ends of the terminal wires in contact 
with each other. This creates a healthy 
chemical action within the cells, which 
is necessary to generate the electric 
current. 

299. The current from a dynamo ignitor 
is tested, while the dynamo is running 
at its rated speed, by taking a piece of 
wire about two feet long with the insu- 
lation stripped off both ends, and plac- 
ing one end onto one of the binding 
posts of the machine and snapping the 
other end off the other binding post. 
This will produce a faint spark if a 
current is generating, and by placing 
a spark coil in the circuit — that is, by 
taking two short wires as above de- 
scribed and connecting one end of each 
to a binding post on the coil and using 
the other ends to make and break the 
current on the dynamo binding posts, 
you get the full benefit of the current 
and can judge of the igniting qualities 
by the size and color of the spark. 

300. The fields of a dynamo should not 
become overheated, but should remain 
cool. The bearings should be oiled 
properly, and the brushes and commu- 
tator should have regular attention. 
It should be kept absolutely clean. 
For further information see chapter on 
Generator Ignition. 



THE PRACTICAL GAS ENGINEER. 79 

801. Before leaving the subject of igni- 
tion I wish to emphasize the fact 
THAT A GAS ENGINE IS NOT RUN- 
NING PROPERLY if every charge 
admitted by the governor is NOT 
FIRED or ignited. No one should 
allow his engine to run taking two, 
three or four charges in succession and 
only firing one of them, without im- 
mediately locating and removing the 
cause. 

302. I recall a case of miss-firing and an 
occasional terrific report at the end of 
the exhaust pipe which was caused by 
the taper pin, which held the rocker 
arm to the movable stem, wearing 
loose and allowing lost motion at this 
point, which should have been rigid. 
A new and larger sized pin made out 
of a wire nail driven firmly into posi- 
tion completely overcame the trouble. 

303. The lost motion made such an in- 
definite and uneven contact that only 
an occasional charge was ignited, 
which in turn ignited those previously 
forced through the cylinder, without 
ignition, into the exhaust drum and 
pipe, and the result was a terrific re- 
port at the end of the exhaust pipe, 
similar to the firing of a cannon. 
Every engineer should familiarize 
himself quickly with the natural 
sounds of his engine, and his ear will 
always be on the alert and detect 



80 THE PRACTICAL GAS ENGINEER. 

any unnatural sound the instant it oc- 
curs. 

304. I have been able to correctly say, 
"That engine is not firing all its 
charges, " by listening to the exhaust 
reports half a mile across the country. 
The character of the sound of the ex- 
haust reports, as well as their number 
between intermissions, will also tell 
you at a distance whether the engine 
has a light or heavy load and whether 
it is overloaded. 

305. The sense of hearing suspects and 
decides whether there is trouble when 
the engine is running. The sense of 
sight locates and corrects it. The 
sense of smell will tell you whether 
fumes of burnt gas are passing the 
piston rings or leaky valves, and es- 
caping into the engine-room instead of 
outside through the exhaust pipe. The 
sense of touch tells you whether the 
journal boxes and other bearings are 
running cool. The sense of taste is 
about the only one of the fiv© senses 
that we do not need to detect some 
trouble about an engine. In fact I 
have seen engines running so badly 
that I imagined I could taste it. The 
ear, however, may be considered the 
chief guide while the engine is in mo- 
tion. 

306. POUND IN CYLINDER.— The prin- 
cipal cause of pounding in the cylin* 
der is pre-ignition of the charge. Pre« 



THE PRACTICAL GAS ENGINEER. 81 

ignition, as has already been stated, is 
usually caused by some projecting 
point or carbon deposit in the igniting 
chamber, heated to the igniting point. 
A high compression of the charge may 
also contribute to pre-ignition. 
307. Of course a knock or pound at the 
wrist or crosshead, due to lost motion 
at these points, must not be confound- 
ed with a pound in the cylinder. A 
loose fly-wheel may also puzzle one at 
times, inasmuch as the jar or thump 
caused by it may sound like a thump 
in the cylinder. 

808. I would test pre-ignition by throw- 
ing off the igniting current or shutting 
off the tube ignitor. If the engine con- 
tinues to fire its own charges and runs 
along pounding away it is good evi- 
dence that the pound is due to pre- 
ignition. If, however, it ceases to fire 
the charges the instant the igniting 
current is cut off, pre-ignition caused 
by projecting points or carbon deposit 
may be excluded. But the hot point 
on the tube and time of the spark must 
not be overlooked. If, however, the 
pounding keeps up until the engine 
stops, a tight piston is probably the 
cause of the trouble. 

809. I have frequently shut off the cur- 
rent and gas from a pounding engine 
and noticed it stop dead sooner than 
you should expect it to. And when 
endeavoring to turn the fiy-wheel over 



82 THE PRACTICAL. GAS ENGINEER. 

by hand the piston stuck tight in the 
cylinder. A few minutes' rest, allow- 
ing it to cool, will loosen up the piston. 

810. If a piston is made to fit the cylin- 
der too snugly it will usually result in 
pounding in the cylinder when the en- 
gine is put under a heavy load. The 
cylinder thump or pound is a deep, 
heavy pound, while a loose fly-wheel 
or loose wrist bearing is indicated by a 
thump more of the clicking variety. 
Then there is a BARKING NOISE, 
due to the escape of the EXPLOSIVE 
FORCE PAST THE CYLINDER 
RINGS. This is easily distinguished 
from either of the others. 

311. The object is to locate the cause of 
thump or pound wherever it is and 
remove it. Any one who is able to 
find the cause of the trouble will no 
doubt find a remedy that will soon cor- 
rect the difficulty. 

812. If pre-ignition is the cause the 
pounding will cease as soon as the 
combustion chamber is cleared of the 
carbon deposit, the projecting point 
causing the firing is removed, the time 
of the spark set later or the flame on 
the tube elevated. 

313. If the cylinder rings allow the ex- 
plosion to pass, making a barking 
noise, they should be either replaced 
by new ones well fitted into their 
grooves and also to the cylinder, or 
the old ones should be dressed with a 



' THE PRACTICAL GAS ENGINEER. 83 

fine file, on their surface, so as to bear 
at all points of their circumference on 
on the cylinder wall. 

314. If the knock is in the crosshead it 
may be relieved by tightening up the 
bearing. Care must be exercised lest 
you get it too tight, which will make 
it knock more than ever. 

815. If the knock is in the wrist it is 
best to take it up a little at a time. A 
loose fly-wheel must never be allowed 
to run until it is thoroughly keyed to 
the shaft and perfectly tightened. 

316. I might add that pre-ignition is lia- 
ble to cause undue expansion of the 
piston and cause it to stick in the cyl- 
inder. In such instances it is not 
proper to dress the piston until pre- 
ignition is corrected. A piston that 
sticks when pre-ignition occurs may 
run all right when pre-ignition ceases. 
The cause of this undue expansion of 
the piston from pre-ignition is the ex- 
treme heat the piston encounters while 
firing the charge before the end of the 
compression stroke. 

317. Don't conclude that a THUMP, 
POUND OR THUD about an engine is 
always due to some trouble in the cyl- 
inder. Look for such causes as the 
following: 

First — Pre-ignition (premature fir- 
ing). 

Second — Badly worn or broken 
piston rings. 



84 THE PRACTICAL, GAS ENGINEER. 

Third — The explosive force escap- 
ing by the piston. 

Fourth — Improper seating of a 
yalve. 

Fifth — A badly worn piston. 

Sixth — Piston striking some pro- 
jecting point or foreign body in the 
combustion chamber. 

Seventh — A loose crosshead bear- 
ing. 

Eighth — A loose crank or wrist 
bearing. 

Ninth — A loose nut or journal box 
cap. 

Tenth — A flywheel or pulley loose 
on the shaft. 

Eleventh — A broken spoke, hub or 
rim in flywheel or pulley. 

Twelfth — Lost motion in any bear- 
ing, gear or governor. 

319. * The sound produced by pre-igni- 
tion may be described as a DEEP, 
HEAVY POUND. 

320. A loose flywheel causes a thump, 
or sometimes a sort of metallic grat- 
ing sound. 

321. A loose crosshead or crank bearing 
makes a thud or knock. 

322. A click will usually direct attention 
to a loose nut or cracked rim, spoke or 
hub, on' pulley or flywheel. 

323. LOSS OF POWER.— The loss of 
power is due principally to leaky 
valves, miss-firing and choked inlet or 
exhaust passage. A bent exhaust 



THE PRACTICAL GAS ENGINEER. 85 

to 

lever or lost motion by reason of a 
worn condition of the cam and cam 
wheel or roller, which will prevent a 
full and free opening of the valve will 
cause a constricted passage. 

324. Under leaky valves may be consid- 
ered leaky piston rings, or any point 
about the cylinder where part of the 
explosive force escapes while it is driv- 
ing the piston on its working stroke. 

325. The valves, if leaking, should be 
taken out and thoroughly cleaned and 
ground into their seats with powdered 
emery and lubricating oil. *, 

326. If the cylinder rings are so worn 
as to become leaky or allow escape of 
the explosive force, they must be re- 
placed by new ones, and it is some- 
times necessary to put the piston into 
a lathe and true up the grooves to fit 
the new rings. If any point of leak is 
discovered it should be properly packed 
or plugged at once. 

327. MISS-FIRING means failing to fire 
each charge the engine takes, and the 
remedy has already been given. „ It 
consists of examining the battery and 
all its connections to the terminals, 
and determining whether the battery 
is exhausted or not, whether there are 
broken connections, whether the ter- 
minals or other points need cleaning 
or attention otherwise. If tube igni- 
tion is used, whether the tube is hot 
enough, whether it is heated too high 



86 THE PRACTICAL GAS ENGINEER. 

up, whether by corrosion or other 
means the passage from the cylinder 
to the inside of the tube is closed up. 
Also determine whether fuel is fed to 
the engine in proper quantities. May 
not be getting enough at a charge or 
even too much. 

828. CHOKED INLET PASSAGE.— 
Nearly all gas engines are fitted with 
some kind of a mixing device in the 
shape of a Perforated plate, wire 
screen, etc. These mixing devices 
may become occluded with dust, soot, 
waste, cloth or paper drawn into the 
inlet pipe. The strangest of all they 
sometimes become occluded with ice. 
The rapid vaporization of the gasoline 
while passing through the mixer may 
freeze any water elements in the air 
and gasoline, and deposit it in the 
shape of ice in the mixer until it be- 
comes completely occluded. 

829. The engine may start off and pull 
its load easily and as the ice is grad- 
ually deposited in the mixer the engine 
shows less and less power, until it 
finally stops. A wait of five or ten 
minutes will melt the ice sufficiently to 
allow another short run. Such actions 
or symptoms should lead one to sus- 
pect a frozen up mixer and to look for 
the cause. 

830. In a number of such instances that 
came under my notice I have simply 
removed the mixer screen entirely and 



THE PRACTICAL GAS ENGINEER. 87 

ran the engine without it, which over- 
came the trouble entirely. 

331. Whatever the cause of a choked 
inlet, see that the cause is removed. 

332. BACK-FIRING. —The explosive 
force coming out of the mouth of the 
receiving pipe is called Back-firing. 
Its principal cause is a delayed com- 
bustion of the previous charge. When 
the air entering* the cylinder does not 
receive a sufficient charge of gas or 
gasoline it makes a slow burning mix- 
ture. This mixture may be so slow in 
combustion that it continues to burn 
not only on the working stroke, but 
also on the exhaust stroke of the pis- 
ton, and there still remains enough 
flame in the cylinder to fire the fresh 
incoming charge, which of course es- 
capes back through the receiving pipe, 
the receiving valve being open. 

333. Any projecting point of iron in the 
igniting chamber or chunks of carbon 
deposited in the cylinder may become 
heated to a red heat and serve to ignite 
the incoming charges. 

334. Feeding the fuel a little more free- 
ly will remedy the back-firing if caused 
by a weak mixture. If this does not 
control it, chunks of carbon or pro- 
jecting points of iron or carbon should 
be lo'oked for and removed if found. 

835. OBSTINATE STARTING. — De- 
fective ignition is one of the principal 
causes, and you have already been told 



88 THE PRACTICAL GAS ENGINEER. 

the remedy. But SLOW VAPORIZ A- 
TION of gasoline in cold weather, 
OVERCHARGING THE INGOING 
AIR with gas or gasoline when turn- 
ing an engine over by hand, and 
WATER IN THE CYLINDER when 
trying to start, are causes as fre- 
quently met with as Defective Igni- 
tion. 

336. You can facilitate vaporization of 
gasoline in cold weather for starting 
purposes by previously heating some 
point of the air inlet pipe, which serves 
to warm the air as it enters, which in 
turn vaporizes the gasoline better than 
cold air. 

337. A bottle of gasoline heated by 
holding it in hot water may be used 
for starting. The heated gasoline va- 
porizes easier. 

338. To avoid overcharging the ingoing 
air when turning the wheels over 
slowly in starting, a starting cup may 
be used on mouth of receiving pipe 
instead of turning on gasoline by the 
needle valve. This gives the initial 
impulses. After a few impulses are 
received, by opening the needle valve 
very slightly and gradually increasing 
the opening the proper starting point 
is found. The valve set at that point 
will usually start the engine when the 
wheels are rolled over. 

339. If WATER is found in the cylinder 
it must be removed and the leak stop- 



I'HE PRACTICAL GAS ENGINEER. 89 

ped before a start is made. Some- 
times a leak is so slight that it will not 
affect the running of the engine after 
it is started, but will leak enough while 
the engine is idle to prevent starting. 

340. Therefore it is always well to drain 
the water jacket entire before stop- 
ping the engine, and to start the en- 
gine before turning the water on again. 
Forming a habit of thus draining the 
water off before stopping the engine 
will serve an excellent purpose both in 
a leaky cylinder and in cold weather. 

341. GROUND JOINTS that become 
leaky should be reground with flour of 
emery and oil, and wiped perfectly 
clean after sufficiently ground. 

342. LEAKY VALVE STEMS are rem- 
edied by reaming out the bearing and 
putting in a bushing or a larger stem. 
The stem, of course, must be in line 
with the bearing centers of the valve 
seat. 

344. IP IGNITION GRADUALLY 
PAILS make the tube hotter. Renew 
battery or have magneto or generator 
put in order by an electrician. 

845. WEAK EXPLOSIONS, when en- 
gine is starting, hardly strong enough 
to drive engine up to speed, indicates 
leaky valves. 

346. IP SPEED GETS LOWER AND 
ENGINE FINALLY STOPS, sus- 
pect: 



90 THE PRACTICAL, GAS ENGINEER. 

First — Irregular ignition; charges 
not all fired. 

Second — Overheated cylinder or 
piston. 

Third — Hot journal or wrist box. 

Fourth — Overload on engine. 

Fifth — Fuel supply exhausted. 

Sixth — Exhaust or receiving valve 
leaking. 

REMEDIES— 

First — Repair broken wire connec- 
tions, clean electrodes or igniting me- 
chanism, repair insulation, renew bat- 
tery, attend to magneto or sparking 
dynamo. Heat igniting tube to a higher 
degree. 

Second — Increase supply of cold 
water and lubricating oil. 

Third — Stop engine, examine hot 
box; if cut any, dress all rough places, 
and wipe out all filings or cuttings, re- 
adjust boxes to bearings carefully, 
lubricate well, start engine, and keep 
a close watch on it for several days. 
If it shows any tendency to heat, ex- 
amine again and readjust. 

Fourth — Reduce load on engine. 

Fifth — Replenish fuel supply. 

Sixth — Grind the valve that leaks 
to a good seat with emery flour and 
oil. Leaky valves and piston rings 
can be tested by turning the engine 
wheels over till the piston goes on its 
compression stroke. If the valves and 



THE PRACTICAL GAS ENGINEER. 91 

piston hold, the compression of air 
causes the piston to rebound. If they 
leak, you can turn the wheel on over 
the compression stroke. 
347. SMOKE at the end of the exhaust 
pipe means an over supply of fuel or 
a surplus of lubricating oil in the cyl- 
inder. 

349. SMOKE at open end of cylinder 
indicates that there is either a sand 
hole in the piston, leaky rings, or that 
the lubricating oil in the cylinder is 
decomposed by the heat. 

350. Piston taken out and filled full of 
water will test it for a sand hole or 
other leak. 

851. When piston is out examine rings 
if broken or worn out, or show by 
wearing at only one or two places in 
their circumference that they do not 
fit the cylinder, replace them with new 
ones snugly fitted into the piston 
grooves, as well as turned to fit the 
cylinder. If lubricating oil is burning 
increase supply of cold water. 



©2 THE PRACTICAL GAS ENGINEER. 



PART V. 



GENERAL INFORMATION. 

352. BOUND BOXES.— When either the 
crosshead or wrist boxes become worn 
so that they shoulder tightly after all 
the liners are taken out, without cor- 
recting the lost motion or knock, their 
shoulders must be dressed either in a 
shaper by a machinist or filed true so 
that they can be set snugly to the pin 
they inclose and yet do not shoulder 
by from one-eight to a thirty-second of 
an inch. 

353. LINERS.— The space between the 
box shoulders is usually filled in with 
two to four thin sheets of cardboard or 
wood fiber, called LINERS. 

354. LINERS REMOVED. —As the 
boxes wear one liner at a time is re- 
moved and the nuts on the boxes set 
up a little closer. 

355. SETTING A BOX.— Never set a 
box so close as to bind the pin or shaft 
it encloses. But set it close enough to 
prevent it knocking. Set the nuts, 
holding the box, up equally. Bring 
them up gradually together. Never 
set one up tight before bringing the 
other up. Don't be in a hurry. Don't 



THE PRACTICAL GAS ENGINEER. 93 

set the boxes haphazard. Try the box 
after setting by turning the wheels 
over to see if it works tight and stiff. 
If so, it is too tight. Use judgment, 
otherwise you will have a ruined box. 
356. PINS WORN OUT OP TRUE 
should be calipered and dressed round 
again with a file, or, better, put into a 
lathe and trued up with a tool and file. 
This refers principally to the CROSS- 
HEAD or PISTON PIN, and the 
CRANK or WRIST PIN. 

857. CUT BOXES.— Scrape the box or 
file it smooth with a fine file. Do the 
same with the pin by dressing off all 
the ridges and grooves. 

858. HOT BOXES.— Watch all the bear- 
ings on your engine closely, especially 
while new. If any of them run hot 
stop your engine and examine care- 
fully for the cause. If too tight loosen 
it up a little; if it bears heavy on one 
side dress the point carefully where it 
shows the most wear; if a burr or high 
point on the shaft or pin dress it down 
smooth, but don't let the box run hot 
very long at a time. 

859 . RE-BABBITING A BOX.— If you 
have never seen a box rebabbited you 
had better not undertake it until you 
have called in some one who has had 
experience to assist you. But if your 
judgment is good and you have suffi- 
cient confidence in your ability to do a 
thing properly you can do it alone. 



94 THE PRACTICAL GAS ENGINEER. 

The principal things to be observed: 
Get the box perfectly level, clean out 
all the old babbit, have box perfectly 
dry, adjust shaft in perfect line with 
the cylinder and the other box or bear- 
ing and stay it thoroughly so it will 
not be jarred out of place while bab- 
biting. Cut cardboard to fit around 
the shaft and the ends of the box, 3>nd 
then paste the cardboard to the ends of 
the box by means of putty or clay, and 
then close up all the creases with it 
where babbit might run out. When 
all is ready to receive the metal, which 
should be hot enough to quickly char 
a small stick thrust into it, put a piece 
of rosin onto the metal and pour as 
steadily as possible into the box. 
Babbit only half of the box at a time. 

360. PACKING.— The cylinder head and 
valve chambers are in many engines 
packed onto the cylinder. Probably 
the best "all-round' ' packing to use, 
and the most easily procured is As- 
bestos sheeting or board. Some build- 
ers use a packing called RUBBER 
BESTOS. Asbestos will stand the heat 
better than any other packing known. 

361. LIME DEPOSIT IN WATER 
CHAMBER.— Don't let water chamber 
become filled with lime deposit. Better 
clean it out once a month by taking off 
Cylinder Head and scraping the jacket 
free from lime. 

362. If you are called on to clean a 



THE PRACTICAL, GAS ENGINEER. 95 

jacket that is well filled with lime and 
difficult to remove by scraping, the 
Hot Oil process of removing the lime 
is, we think, the least injurious. 
863. It is done as follows : Drain all the 
water from the jacket, plug the lower 
port into the jacket, and through a 
short nipple of pipe in the upper port 
fill the water space with oil. Then 
run the engine till the oil gets boiling 
hot. Then let it stand over night to 
cool. Heat it again to the boiling 
point next morning by running the en- 
gine. Then stop the engine, drain off 
the oil and let the engine cool off. 
Then start your engine with water 
turned on, and run for several hours, 
and when cooled shut off water and 
thoroughly drain off all sediment. 

364. A BURST WATER JACKET, 
THE RESULT OP FREEZING.— No 
matter how much is said or written in 
the way of caution about draining the 
cylinder jacket and water pipes, care- 
lessness will prevail in some instances 
and a freeze up, bursting the cylinder 
jacket, will occur. 

365. It is fortunate, however, that the 
cylinder itself is seldom injured by 
these freeze-ups. Usually only the 
outer casing bursts, and hence does 
not interfere with the successful run- 
ning of the engine. 

866. When the exhaust valve chamber 
is watered the same trouble will occur 



96 THE PRACTICAL GAS ENGINEER. 

with it if it is not properly drained. 

367. When a freeze-up occurs it results 
usually only in cracking the water cas- 
ing and the remedy is to patch it and 
go ahead. 

368. The patching is don© as follows: 
Drain off all water, plug lower pipe 
connections, fill jacket with a salam- 
moniac solution (one pound to a gallon 
of water), let stand thirty minutes, 
drain and run engine five minutes to 
warm jacket. Stop engine, put solu- 
tion back into jacket and repeat the 
process three or four times. If the 
crack is not too large you will thus 
form a RUST JOINT that will never 
leak. 

369. If this does not stop the leak, take 
an iron plate, long enough to cover the 
crack, shape it to the cylinder, drill 
quarter-inch holes along each edge 
about two inches apart, drill and thread 
holes into the cylinder wall to match, 
lay a piece of candle wick, well satur- 
ated with white lead, on the crack and 
bolt the plate tightly over it with one- 
quarter inch round head screws. When 
using this method it is best to chip a 
little crease along the crack to receive 
part of the wick. 

870. HOW TO GRIND A VALVE.— As 
has already been stated, nearly all 
modern gas engines use valves of the 
poppet variety. When it is suspected 
that a valve needs grinding, strip the 



THE PRACTICAL GAS ENGINEER. 97 

- stem of its lock-nuts and spring, and 
remove the cap or plug over the valve 
pallet, lift it out and examine the seat. 

371. If it does not show a good bright 
bearing all around it needs grinding, 
which is done as follows: Apply lubri- 
cating oil to the seat of the pallet, then 
sprinkle on some flour of emery and 
drop the pallet into its seat. The top 
of the valve is usually creased to re- 
ceive a screwdriver bit. 

372. With a brace and bit the pallet may 
be turned round and round for a time 
and then back and forth in a semi-circle. 
Work it this way, alternating the move- 
ments, for some time. Occasionally 
lift the valve pallet slightly from its 
seat, let it drop back and repeat the 
grinding movements. 

873. When the valve turns without any 
apparent grinding friction take it out, 
wipe it clean, examine the seat, apply 
more oil and emery, and put it through 
another course of grinding. 

374. This process may have to be re- 
peated a number of times, but don't 
get in too much of a hurry to get 
through. 

375. Two hours spent industriously on 
a valve may prove to be well spent 
and time saved. 

376. When a good bearing seat is se- 
cured wipe the valve pallet and stem, 
as well as the valve seat and sleeve, in 
which the stem works, entirely free 



98 THE PRACTICAL GAS ENGINEER 

from emery, oil and grit. Return the 
pallet to its seat, close up the valve 
and adjust the spring and lock-nuts to 
the stem ready for service. 

377. In handling a gas engine the first 
thing to learn is "not to be afraid of 
it." There is nothing about it that 
will injure or hurt you unless you allow 
yourself to become careless. 

378. Such incidents as getting arms, 
legs and cloths caught in the gears, 
shaft, governor or FLY WHEEL 
KEY, while the engine is running, are 
results of pure carelessness. 

379. It is the engineer's duty to caution 
others who may be looking at his en- 
gine of these dangers. 

380. EXPLORING THE INTERIOR 
OF THE CYLINDER.— It is some- 
times necessary to explore the interior 
of the gas engine cylinder with a 
lighted candle, for the purpose of 
locating some sharp projection, burnt 
carbon, crack or sand hole, etc. When 
doing this always remember that a 
CHARGE OF FUEL may remain in 
the cylinder, and whether the candle 
is inserted through one of the valve 
ports or the open end of the cylinder, 
be sure to keep YOUR FACE away 
from the opening. 

381. The lighted candle will ignite the 
charge, and the flash through the open 
port may result in a seriously burnt 
face. The candle is usually put into 



THE PRACTICAL GAS ENGINEER. 99 

the cylinder on the end of a long, sharp 
pointed wire or stick. 

HORSE POWER EXPLAINED. 

382. Every engine uses a certain per 
cent of its total power to drive itself. 

383. A. H. P.— ACTUAL HORSE 
POWER means the power an engine 
has to spare for driving other ma- 
chinery after driving itself. 

384. I. H. P.— INDICATED HORSE 
POWER is A. H. P. plus the power an 
engine requires to drive itself. 

385. TOTAL POWER of an engine is 
the same as its I. H. P. BRAKE 
HORSE POWER, B. H. P. same as A. 
H. P. 

386. If an engine develops on Brake 
Test seven Brake Horse Power, or 
Actual Horse Power, and it takes 3 H. 
P. to drive itself, it is therefore prop- 
perly called a TEN INDICATED and 
SEVEN ACTUAL or Brake Horse 
Power. 

387. INDICATED HORSE POWER is 
determined by an instrument called an 
INDICATOR attached to the compres- 
sion chamber of the cylinder, which is 
capable of indicating the pressure be- 
hind the piston by tracings on a card. 
The power is figured from the area of 
this tracing, as follows: 

Multiply the area of the piston in 
square inches, by the mean effective 
pressure in pounds per square inch 3 



100 THE PRACTICAL GAS ENGINEER. 



by the number of explosions per min- 
ute, by the length, in feet, of the work- 
ing stroke of the piston, and divide the 
product by 33,000; the quotient will be 
the indicated horse power. 




Method op Making Brake Test. 

388. BRAKE TEST.— A piece of belt 
with linwood cleats fastened to it with 
wood screws, as per the above illustra- 
tion, will serve to make an excellent 
arrangement for testing brake or ac- 
tual horse power. 

389. On each end of this brake a paint 
bucket with bail or handle hung onto 



THE PRACTICAL GAS ENGINEER. 101 

hooks fastened onto the ends will serve 
to hold small stones or chunks of Iron 
with which to weight the brake and 
cause sufficient friction. 

390 . This weight is applied until the en- 
gine is pulling all it will pull without 
materially reducing the speed, and the 
weights on each side balance or hang 
clear of the floor. 

391. The engine is then left running un- 
der its load for from ten to thirty min- 
utes, during which time the speed is 
counted a number of times, to deter- 
mine whether the engine holds the 
same speed. 

392. When you have determined the 
same speed for some time the test may 
be concluded by stopping the engine. 

393. The weights on each end are then 
weighed and the difference in pounds 
is the number of pounds pulled by the 
engine. 

394. By multiplying the CIRCUMFER- 
ENCE OF THE WHEEL, IN FEET, 
by the number of pounds pulled, by the 
number of revolutions per minute, and 
dividing this product by 33,000 the re- 
sult will show the Actual or Brake 
Horse Power of the engine. 

395. EXAMPLE.— Diameter fly wheel 
shown in above cut thirty inches, or 
two and a half feet. 2^x3.1416 equals 
Cir. 7.85 ft. 

Cir. Rev. Pounds. 

7.85 ft. x 300 x 52 Qjru „ 

. = Oisll. P. 

33,000 F 



102 THE PRACTICAL, GAS ENGINEER. 

396. A power capable of raising 33,000 
pounds one foot high, in one minute, 
equals one horse power. 

TO START A GAS ENGINE. 

397. Don't get excited, Go slow. Be 
sure you are right, then proceed as 
follows: 

First — Clean the engine and all 
wearing parts thoroughly. 

Second — Oil every point where 
there is any friction, EXCEPT VALVE 
STEMS and SPARKER SHAFT. 

Third— If there is a relief or start- 
ing lever on the engine set it so as to 
relieve the compression. A Pet-Cock 
is sometimes used for this purpose 

instead of a lever. It should be open. 

Fourth — Switch in Battery cur- 
rent. If tube ignitor is used the flame 
against the tube should be started first 
thing. While the tube is heating oil 
up, etc. 

Fifth — When hot enough open the 
throttle valve slightly so as to admit a 
light charge of fuel when the engine 
is turned over. REMEMBER you are 
more liable to give the engine too 
much fuel in starting than not enough. 

Sixth — Turn the fly wheels of the 
engine rapidly forward until it gets an 
impulse. Three or four revolutions 
should be enough. 

After the engine has had three or 
four impulses and gained some speed 



THE PRACTICAL GAS ENGINEER. 103 

throw out relief lever or close relief 
Pet- Cock. 

Eighth — Start oil from lubricating 
cup on cylinder. Twenty drops per 
minute while engine is new. Less will 
do later on. 

Ninth — Let water into jacket cham- 
ber from water supply. 

TO STOP A GAS ENGINE. 

398. First — Shut off water supply. 
Second— DRAIN CYLINDER AL- 
WAYS, TAKE NO CHANCES OP A 
FREEZE-UP, if you want to avoid 
trouble. 

Third — Close cylinder oiler. 

Fourth — Shut off gas or gasoline. 

Fifth — Switch out the battery cur- 
rent. 

Sixth — Wipe engine clean and see 
that it is in good shape for its next 
run. 

399. While cleaning the engine after 
each days' run notice all the points of 
adjustment that are liable to need at- 
tention and see that all nuts, bolts and 
cap screws are tight or properly set. 

400. Notice also the condition of the 
wrist, journal and other bearings. If 
any of them are hot, locate the cause 
of the heating, and, if possible, remove 
it before starting the engine for work. 

401. Before leaving the engine for the 
night see to it that the gas or gasoline 
is shut off and properly confined in the 



104 THE PRACTICAL GAS ENGINEER. 




THE PRACTICAL GAS ENGINEER. 105" 

tank or pipes, that the battery current 
is switched out and that everything is 
in apple-pie order for the next run. 

402. The Illustration on the previous 
page is intended, in a general way, to 
show the" manner of connecting up the 
water, exhaust pipe and battery to the 
engine. 

403. You will notice the bottom of the 
cooling tank is about on a level with 
the inlet to the engine. I think this is 
a very important point to remember. 
It is better to have as few obstructions 
as possible in the water connections, 
where a natural circulation is expected. 
Therefore the cooling tank should be 
so placed that the water through the 
lower pipe to the engine will flow at 
least on a level and not upward. There 
are no objections to placing the tank 
above the engine. * 

404. It is also well to observe that the 
lower pipe is connected a few inches 
above the bottom into the side of the 
tank, thus arranging a space below the 
pipe outlet to collect any sediment the 
water may contain, which would other- 
wise be carried into the cooling cham- 
ber of the cylinder, and tend to ob- 
struct it. 

405. The bottom of the cooling tank 
should be provided with a drain cock 
or plug, through which the tank may 
occasionally be drained of all sediment 
and thoroughly cleaned. 



106 THE PRACTICAL GAS ENGINEER. 

406. The cooling tank, exhaust drum 
and battery can of course be placed 
and connected to suit the location of 
the engine. They do not need to oc- 
cupy the positions in relation to the 
engine as shown in the cut. 

407. Place them where they are most 
convenient, connecting up the water 
and exhaust with as few "LV and 
turns as possible. 

408. The pump and gravity feed sys- 
tems for supplying gasoline to the en- 
gine have been fully described, as 
also the method of piping up the gas. 
fipo ixidp^r 

409. ~ GASOLINE, BENZINE, NATH- 
THA and the kindred Hydro-carbons 
are the products of crude mineral oil. 

410. They are separated from the 
CRUDE OIL by a process ofi distilla- 
tion. The process is very smilar to 
that of generating steam from water. 

411. By the application of heat, water 
raised to a temperature of 212 degrees 
Fahrenheit changes from a liquid to a 
gaseous state, called steam. This con- 
version is only temporary. If steam is 
confined and cooled to a certain point 
it will quickly return to its liquid state, 
water, by the process known as con- 
densation. 

412. CRUDE MINERAL OIL subjected 
to heat will give off in the form of va- 
por such products as Gasoline, Ben- 
zine, Naptha, etc. The degrees of heat 



THE PRACTICAL GAS ENGINEER. 107 

at which these products are separated 
are comparatively low. Various de- 
grees of heat will separate the distinct 
products. As a means of illustration, 
we will say that crude oil raised to a 
temperature of 110 degrees gives off 
vapor which when cooled will liquify 
into what is known as naphtha; ben- 
zine at 125 degrees, and gasoline at 
140 degrees. These degrees of tem- 
perature are not authentic — simply 
used to illustrate. 

413. After these lighter products are 
separated there yet remains the thick, 
oily liquid from which the various lu- 
bricating oils are prepared. 

414. Paraffine oil is one of the principal 
products of crude oil, and the oily sed- 
iment which frequently accumulates in 
the bottom of the tank or can in which 
gasoline is confined is PARRAFINE 
OILi, which distills over in small quan- 
tity with the vapor of gasoline. 

415. This oil might be finally separated 
from the gasoline by reconverting it 
into vapor several times and carrying 
it as such into a clean retort each 
time. 

416. It should be remembered that gas- 
oline that is practically free from par- 
affine can easily be adulterated by put- 
ting it into unclean containers. For in- 
stance, we take chemically pure gaso- 
line and put it into a wooden barrel or 
tank, that previously contained oil, 



108 THE PRACTICAL GAS ENGINEER. 

which has not been cleaned, it is easy 
to understand how the penetrating 
qualities of gasoline acting on the oil- 
soaked staves will extract the oil par- 
ticles and deposit them on the bottom 
of the vessel because of their lower 
specific gravity. In the same way other 
sediments than oil may get mixed with 
gasoline. 
417. The comparatively low degree of 
heat necessary to produce gasoline from 
oil makes it a fluid that is very volatile 
and easily vaporized in our warm sum- 
mer temperature, and, therefore, diffi- 
cult to confine. 

418 The best kind of a tank to use in 
confining gasoline is made of well sol- 
dered, galvanized iron, fitted with a 
safety valve, which will allow escape 
of any gas that may accumulate to a 
certain pressure within the tank during 
warm weather. 

419 A tank containing gasoline should 
never be so placed as to be exposed to 
the direct rays of the sun. This is 
done with many gasoline engine sup- 
ply tanks, and the result is an enor- 
mous waste of gasoline by direct va- 
porization, which loss is generally at- 
tributed to over-consumption by the 
engine, very much to the detriment of 
its reputation. t 

420 The object of burying a gasoline 
tank in the ground is to provide a cool 
place for it, which reduces vaporiza- 



THE PRACTICAL GAS ENGINEER. 109 

ation to a minimum. The way this is 
ordinarily done is BAD PRACTICE. 
The proper way to do it is to provide 
an underground chamber something 
similar to a cistern. This chamber 
should be large enough so that when 
the tank is placed in the center there 
is room enoug.h all around it to admit 
of thorough inspection. It should be 
walled up with brick and cemented, so 
as to exclude water, and covered in 
such a manner as to admit of easy ac- 
cess. 

421. If the tank is to be placed on top of 
the ground outside of the building in 
which the engine is located it should 
be protected from the heat of the sun 
by putting a small building over it. 

422. Storing gasoline in a wooden barrel 
is not economy by any means. The 
wood is porous enough to allow con- 
siderable loss by vaporization. 

423. When gasoline is exposed to air 
that is above the freezing point it gives 
off a vapor or gas which mixes or 
blends with the atmosphere, and if ex- 
posed long enough the quantity so ex- 
posed will all disappear or pass off into 
the air in the form of vapor, leaving 
only the paraffine residue or other sed- 
iment. 

424. Several manufacturers of gasoline 
advise me that common stove gasoline 
is especially purified, and does not 
originally contain any residue. 



110 THE PRACTICAL GAS ENGINEER. 

425. It would therefore appr j that 
stove gasoline, which is r Jinarily 
supposed to test about 74 degrees, is 
the quality best adapted for use in the 
gasoline engine, although the writer 
has knowledge of engines running suc- 
cessfully on gasoline testing anywhere 
from 60 degrees to 88 degrees. 

426. DISTILLATE, which might be 
called a low grade of gasoline, and 
which we are advised tests about 55 
degrees, is successfully used to operate 
the majority of gas engines in Califor- 
nia. 

427. Much of the RESIDUE or oily sub- 
stance which accumulates in the bot- 
tom of a gasoline tank is, in my opin- 
ion, due to the use of unclean barrels 
or tanks in which it is confined for 
storage or shipping purposes. 

428. Another method of getting rid of 
this oily substance is to regard it as so 
much "dirt" and occasionally pour off 
all the gasoline and clean the container 
thoroughly from all sediment. 

429 Gasoline engines often refuse to op- 
erate successfully on account of this 
sediment blockading some part of the 
supply passage between the tank and 
the engine. 

430. Unfortunately the consumer of gas- 
oline occupies the same position in the 
purchase of gasoline as the consumer 
of milk does in its purchase. They 
both buy "dirt. " The only difference 



THE PRACTICAL GAS ENGINEER. Ill 

is that the latter, after buying it, is ex- 
pected to digest it as well. 

431. In case of fire due to gasoline, use 
fine earth, flour or sand on top of the 
burning liquid. Never use water; it 
will only serve to float the gasoline 
and consequently spread the flame. 

432. GASOLINE TANK EXPLO- 
SIONS are often due to a pressure 
within a tightly closed container, 
caused by high temperature, which 
vaporizes or gasifies the liquid within. 

433. The changing of the liquid to the 
gaseous state causes expansion, and if 
there is no vent or safety valve connec- 
tion the pressure within rises to a 
point sufficient to cause an explosion. 



PART VI. 



DYNAMO AND MAGNETO 
IGNITION 

In Gas and Galoline Engines. 

434. The necessity of a sure method of 
ignition in the operation of Hydro-car- 
bon motors cannot be overestimated. 
I may safely say that more trouble 
arises from defective ignition in the 
use of Hydro-corbon engines than from 
all other causes combined . 



112 THE PRACTICAL GAS ENGINEER. 

The importance, therefore, of some 
arrangement, device or mechanism, 
capable of constantly generating a 
good strong currenhof electricity, with 
the least possible variation.in its con- 
stant strength, is readily apparent. A 
good current properly applied is to the 
gas engineer what quinine was to the 
physician in malarial times. 
" 435. Experts on the operation of gas and 
gasoline motors are very particular 
about the igniting apparatus on their 
machines. When called to a motor 
giving trouble they will at once inquire 
or examine into the ignition apparatus, 
and especially the electric current 
strength. If this current strength 
drops below a certain standard, say 2£ 
ampers and 10 volts, the expert sus- 
picions that the current strength is get- 
ting low, and he searches for the 
cause. 

A high amperage and low voltage 
may ignite successfully. Such a cur- 
rent may be had from a battery on 
short circuit. A five-cell Edison Pri- 
mary Battery, Type "R, " may show 
on short circuit 15 ampers and only 
three to four volts. 
436. The importance with which reliable 
ignition is considered may be demon- 
strated by the fact that a well-equip- 
ped automobile or touring car, which 
is required to make long and continu- 
ous runs, usually carries a battery of 



THE PRACTICAL GAS ENGINEER. 113 

from two to four magneto or dynamo 
generators, which are backed up by a 
couple of good fluid or storage batter- 
ies, so that in case of disability of one 
of the generators the current from an- 
other may be switched in immediately. 

437. Of the different methods of ignition 
used on Hydro-carbon motors, viz.: 
Flame, Hot Tube, Catalytic and Elec- 
tric, the latter has easily taken the lead, 
and is the one with which this chapter 
especially deals. Flame ignition has 
become practically obsolete. Tube ig- 
nition is described elsewhere in this 
work. Also Electric ignition in con- 
nection with battery current. 

438. Catalytic ignition may be defined as 
ignition or combustion resulting from 
high compression pressure within the 
combustion chamber. This method is 
winning some advocates, and some in- 
genious devices are applied to accom- 
plish the result. The combustion 
chamber may be heated by torch for 
the purpose of igniting the first charges 
in starting. After the motor is in opera- 
tion the constant firing of fresh charges 
within the combustion chambers keeps 
it hot enough to explode them regu- 
larly under the heavy compression 
pressure. 

439. The popularity which the electric 
current enjoys as an ignitor is the 
stimulus which is bringing out many 
new and valuable devices for generat- 



}14 THE PRACTICAL GAS ENGINEER. 

ing the electric current in proper 
strength to ignite the charges, under 
the greatest variation of proportional 
gas and air mixtures allowable in Hy- 
dro-carbon motors. 

Those devices which appeal to the 
good judgment of gas engine operators 
at present are known as dynamic gen- 
erators. Dynamo or Magnetic Ignitors. 
440. The dynamo is a small generator, 
constructed on principles similar to the 
dynamo used for electric lighting pur- 
poses, a miniature machine with cur. 
rent capacity only sufficient to produce 
a good strong igniting spark at all 
times. Storage and other batteries are 
used in connecton with some of these 
dynamos for starting purposes. They 
require a certain speed before they will 
generate an igniting current. This 
speed must not vary to any great ex- 
tent. If much below the normal the 
current will be too weak for igniting 
purposes. If speed runs above the 
normal there is danger of burning out 
the field windings. Therefore, if the 
dynamo were set at a speed to generate 
an igniting current, when the engine 
is turned over by hand, it would quick- 
ly burn out its field coils under full 
speed of the engine, unless some gov- 
erning device were used; consequently, 
the engine is started from a battery 
current, and when the dynamo has 
gained a generating speed, which is at- 



THE PRACTICAL GAS ENGINEER. 115 

tained at the full speed of the engine, 
its current is switched onto the engine, 
and the battery current is cut out. 

441. The use of the battery for starting 
purposes is one of the objections urged 
by competative manufacturers against 
a dynamo requiring it, and if only su- 
perficially considered, it might be re- 
garded as a real objection. The only 
adverse claim that can be urged against 
it is the expense of maintaining a bat- 
tery and dynamo both at the same 
time; but when it is remembered that 
the engine or motor is ■ 'The power be- 
hind the throne" of whatever machine 
or machinery it is expected to operate, 
and that it depends for its good beha- 
vior, to a large extent, on a good, 
strong, continuous, week-in and week- 
out electric current, and that we de- 
pend almost wiiollyon the engine to 
accomplish our purpose, I regard it a 
matter of economy rather than one of 
expense to back up the dynamo with a 
good electrical battery, and, vice versa, 
so that in case of disability of the one 
we may have the other to rely on dur- 
ing the time which we would otherwise 
be shut down for repairs. 

442. There are, however, generators fit- 
ted with ingenious governing or speed- 
controlling devices, which allow a gen- 
erating speed of the dynamo when the 
engine is turned over by hand, and as 
the speed of the engine increases to its 



116 THE PRACTICAL GAS ENGINEER. 

normal the governor on the dynamo 
controls it by keeping it within the 
bounds of its speed limit. 

Such an outfit is designed to discard 
all other current generators. The dy- 
namo is relied upon to START and 
OPERATE the engine successfully and 
entirely of its own accord. 

These speed controllers on igniting 
dynamos are in the most instances do- 
ing the work expected of them in a 
thoroughly efficient and satisfactory 
manner, and can be considered per- 
fectly reliable. 

443. In addition to the dynamo generator 
for igniting purposes there is another 
generator called the magneto, which is 
extensively used and which has many 
warm advocates. The magneto de- 
pends on permanent magnets for excit- 
ing fields. It has no field windings, 
and, consequently, the danger which 
is urged against the dynamo of burning 
out its field windings under high speeds 
is obviated in the magneto. It is, 
therefore, susceptible to much greater 
variation of speed without injury than 
the dynamo. But while this is true, it 
must not be inferred that the magneto 
is without disadvantages. The excit- 
ing magnets may lose their magnetism, 
which, of course, means that they 
would fail to generate a current. 

444. It is the opinion of the author that 
a machine, whether dynamo or mag- 



THE PRACTICAL, GAS ENGINEER. 117 

neto, will give the best service, and 
last longer at' a uniform rate of speed 
than under a variable speed. 

445. It is of course the desire of all man- 
ufacturers to develop and produce a 
machine that will as readily as possible 
adapt itself to the various adverse con- 
ditions which it may encounter, and 
since variation in speed is an adverse 
condition constantly met with they 
have given the matter of speed special 
attention by reason of which some of 
them may be led to make extravagant 
claims for their product. 

446. Conservativeness in the considera- 
tion of the excellent points claimed by 
each manufacturer is the safest guide 
to the purchaser. To make a good se- 
lection one should carefully consider 
the advantageous points claimed by 
different manufacturers, as well as the 
disadvantages urged against each 
other. 

When you have made your choice, 
back up your judgment with the belief 
that you have as good a machine as the 
market affords, give it such attention 
as a good machine deserves; study its 
parts and their action until you are inti- 
mately acquainted with its makeup, 
and your success with it is assured. 

447. There is yet another generator, 
which has recent] y made its appearance 
on the market. On account of special 
adantages claimed for it, which ad van- 



118 THE PRACTICAL GAS ENGINEER. 

tages are backed up by the action of 
the machine in several instances com- 
ing under my observation, I am in- 
clined to regard it with considerable 
favor, and believe it is destined to be- 
come a formidable rival of the other 
two, if not a leader. In describing the 
construction of this machine I do so 
with the understanding that the man- 
ufacture of it is not confined to one 
concern. 

This generator might aptly be 
termed a Magneto-Dynamo, or a com- 
bination of dynamo and magneto. 

448. The construction of it is similar to 
a magneto, with the exception that its 
permanent magnets are re- enforced by 
field windings similar to the dynamo. 

449. As indicated in the description of 
the dynamo and magneto, the former 
depends on its field windings for excit- 
ing its fields from which its current is 
generated; the latter depends on per- 
manent magnets for the generating of 
its current. The rapidly revolving 
armature between the wound fields of 
the former excites them, and a current 
is generated. The armature revolving 
rapidly between permanent magnets 
in the latter generates a current. & 

450. A current of electricity passed 
through a wire coiled around a piece of 
soft steel magnetizes the steel. Con- 
sequently, the field windings, around 
the already magnetized magnets, or 



THE PRACTICAL GAS ENGINEER. 119 

permanent magnets, tend to intensify 
their magnetism, and keep their gen- 
erating qualities up to a high standard. 
It must, therefore, follow that such an 
arrangement would obviate the loss of 
magnetism in the permanent magnet, 
an objection urged against the ordinary 
magneto. 

451. However, it might be well to state 
in this connection that if this machine 
is run backward it will demagnetize its 
magnets. Therefore, the reader may 
at once conclude that there is an ob- 
jection to this Magneto-Dynamo.* If 
further consideration is given the mat- 
ter it will be seen that there is no need 
of running this machine backward. In 
fact, by changing two wire connections 
between the field coil and the arma- 
ture pole the backward movement 
above referred to becomes the forward. 
Therefore, the machine is easily re- 
versible, and will run in either direc- 
tion and generate a good strong cur- 
rent. 

452. All that is required of the operator 
is to know the wire connections be- 
tween armature and fields, which are 
usually plainly illustrated and de- 
scribed in an instruction sheet sent 
with the machine. 

453. Another advantage claimed for 
these machines is that the magnet or 
field windings serve in the capacity of 
& spark coil, which obviates the neces- 



120 THE PRACTICAL GAS ENGINEER. 

sity of a spark coil, and especially so 
if the generating speed can be made 
low enough to ignite the charge when 
turning the engine wheels over by 
hand, as in starting, and yet not injure 
the windings when the engine is at its 
full speed, which we are informed is 
easily within the capacity of the gen- 
erator. 

454. Since referring to the spark coil 
we desire to say that it has been in 
use as a necessary fixture ever since 
electric ignition was introduced, no 
matter what the source of electric cur- 
rent, whether storage, dry or fluid bat- 
tery, Magneto or Dynamo. For the 
ordinary contact or touch spark a 
SHORT, THICK spark coil connected 
somewhere into the circuit will produce 
the best results. 

455. For JUMP SPARK ignition an 
especially designed spark coil is neces- 
sary, called the Jump Spark Coil. 

456. The difference in operation of the 
ordinary spark coil and the Jump 
Spark coil is that the former requires 
a make-and- break arrangement, which 
produces contact and separation of the 
terminal points within the igniting 
chamber. 

The latter produces a spark or suc- 
cession of sparks, which leap through 
an air space between two terminal 
points, without contact of these points, 
which are stationary, and located with- 



THE PRACTICAL, GAS ENGINEER. 121 

in the exploding or igniting chamber; 
the make-and-break contact being 
made outside of the igniting chamber. 

457. The same strength of electric cur- 
rent will produce successful ignition 
with either coil, provided the coils and 
ignition arrangement are adapted to 
the current. In further explanation 
of this fact I might add that by a series 
of tests we produced successful igni- 
tion and operation of a gas engine by 
first using the ordinary spark coil with 
make-and-break contact within igniting 
chamber for several hours, then chang- 
ing the igniting mechanism to the Jump 
Spark method we got equally good re- 
sults, using the same battery and en- 
gine with both methods. Similar tests 
with a magneto current produced suc- 
cessful ignition with either method, 
demonstrating that a properly con- 
structed battery or generator produc- 
ing a current of sufficient magnitude 
will successfully ignite the charges 
with either the contact or jump spark 
method. However, jump spark igni- 
tion requires a current of greater 
amperage than is necessary with the 
touch spark, and which isdiable to de- 
stroy the contact points. Hence, 
builders of magnetos and sparking ma- 
chines wind their machines a little 
different for a jump than a contact 
spark. 

458. In the panorama of electric igni- 



122 THE PRACTICAL GAS ENGINEER. 

tion, inventions, improvements and 
advancement, the changes are so rapid 
that one has hardly time to stop long 
enough to describe the newest arrival 
until another, for which greater claims 
are made, appears on the scene. While 
I write my attention is called to one 
which is termed a HIGH TENSION 
GENERATOR which is designed to 
produce a jump spark of powerful ig- 
niting qualities without the introduc- 
tion of a spark coil in the circuit. It 
is claimed for this device that the cur- 
rent is taken from the dynamo termi- 
nals Bfr a pressure of 25,000 volts, di- 
rectly to the sparker plug, where it is 
delivered with such force as to enable 
it to bridga an air gap of an inch, with 
a powerful hot flaming spark. 

The author has had no opportunity 
to personally investigate the action of 
this generator, and therefore is not 
able to judge or predict what role it 
is destined to play in these sparking 
times. It is safe to assume, however, 
that the inventor has gained some 
point of vantage. Whether of suffi- 
cient prominence to dictate its leader- 
ship remains to be seen. 
459. Leaving the descriptions of what 
appear to the author to be the most re- 
liable igniting generators now on the 
market we will attempt to devote a few 
pages to the care and successful hand- 
ling of these little machines. I desire 



THE PRACTICAL GAS ENGINEER. 123 

to say, as a word of caution, that it is 
not well to condemn a generator or 
magneto because the engine to which 
it is connected goes dead under its cur- 
rent or even its lack of current. The 
little generator may be all right, even 
if it produces no current at all. If the 
engine goes out of operation appar- 
ently of its own accord be sure that 
you determine whether the trouble is 
with the generator or not. If a bat- 
tery is used in connection with this 
generator, and the engine starts off 
and runs successfully from the battery, 
but goes down when the generator cur- 
rent is switched in, then it may be tol- 
erably certain that the generator or 
the wire connections between it and 
the engine are at fault, not necessarily 
so however. Some generators require 
a little time after strating to pick up 
or saturate their fields, before which 
a current is not generated. And if the 
engine is started on the battery, and 
switched onto the dynamo before it 
has had time to pick up, the engine 
will stop; therefore it is always well 
to run on the battery for a few minutes 
before switching in the current from 
the generator. 
460. Under these conditions, shTould it 
fail, LOOK FOR LITTLE THINGS, 
before giving up in despair. I '11 relate 
an actual occurrence. It may help 
you. Mr. M — had worked all day up 



124 THE PRACTICAL GAS ENGINEER. 

to 4 o'clock P. M., trying to get his en- 
gine started from his generator. (He 
had no battery.) At 4 P. M. we an- 
swered his call for help, and found 
him irritable, damning the dynamo 
and denouncing it as a fraud. Inside 
of two minutes we found one of the 
brushes — two at opposite points of the 
commutator, you know — by reason of 
dirt accumulation, got stuck in the 
brash holder, and could not touch the 
commutator. Took it out, cleaned it, 
and also the other one, rubbed the 
commutator a little, turned the engine 
over, and off it went. Don't let this 
happen to you. 

461. Later on the same fellow literally 
soaked the dynamo in oil in his effort to 
give it sufficient lubrication. The re- 

* suit of course, was another shutdown, 
fit of anger, and general condemnation 
of the spark generator. Cleaning and 
wiping off the surplus oil, again 
started it off in good shape. This fel- 
low was constantly overlooking the 
little things, and believed, as some one 
told him that his armature was burned 
out, or that the magnets had lost their 
magnetism. 

462. Nearly all these little machines are 
fitted with wick oilers, and they need 
to be supplied with oil only every three 
or four days, and then only a little at 
a time. 

463. The ends of the brushes which are 



THE PRACTICAL GAS ENGINEER. 125 

in contact with the armature some- 
times need to be touched up with a fine 
file to clean them from dirt accumula- 
tions. The commutator can be clean- 
ed with fine emery cloth, waste or 
chamois skin, while in motion. 

464. If the brushes wear off and get too 
short, so that the springs which hold 
them to the commutator can no longer 
hold them firmly, new ones should be 
put into the brush holders. We found 
in one instance that the little pulley 
was loose on the armature shaft, which 
caused trouble for some time. 

465. If you ever have occasion to re- 
move the armature from a magneto, 
be sure that you protect the magnets 
by putting a small iron bar across the 
open ends of the magnets. This 
makes the connection between the 
open ends of the magnets and pre- 
serves their magnetism, which they 
would otherwise lose. 

466. It is also well to guard against run- 
ning these little generators backward. 
Magnetism in some of them may be 
lost thereby, and they may be other- 
wise injured. If one of them has its 
field windings burned out, or has lost 
its magnetism, it is best to send it to 
the manufacturers for repairs. 

467. Sometimes the insulation around 
the brush holders gets damp and 
causes trouble . Removing it and dry- 
ing it, by either wiping it dry or 



126 THE PRACTICAL GAS ENGINEER. 

baking it in a dry heat for a short 
time, will overcome the trouble and 
cause the generator to work success- 
fully again. 

468. Above all, we would advise any 
one installing one of these little gener- 
ators to provide it with an absolutely 
clean place, and one which can easily 
be kept clean. It should be so located 
that no oil from the engine or other 
machinery can be spattered on it. It 
should be excluded from dust and 
dampness by incasing it in a roomy box 
if the room in which it is placed is at 
all exposed to dust, dirt or dampness. 

469. If the friction wheel is used on the 
generator for driving purposes, it (the 
generator) should be set so that the 
little friction wheel sets squarely 
against the face of the flywheel of the 
engine, and so that it is in direct line 
with the flywheel. Otherwise, the face 
of the little friction pulley would soon 
wear out of true and cause trouble. It 
should also be set up snug enough 
against the face of the flywheel to in- 
sure a generative speed of the genera- 
tor when the engine is running at its 
normal speed. 

470. The easiest way to operate a gener- 
ator successfully is to keep its parts 
and surroundings perfectly clean and 
dry. 

If you will do this, you will seldom 
have occasion to correct what might 






THE PRACTICAL GAS ENGINEER. 127 

otherwise appear to be the fault of the 
generator. Dampness and dirt are the 
direct enemies of the successful run- 
ning of the generator. Lubricating 
oil becomes dirt when used too freely. 
471. If copper wire brushes are used, 
they should be soaked in oil occasion- 
ally to prevent their cutting the com- 
mutator. 

Carbon brushes will not cut the 
commututor, but may becoms glazed, 
which will prevent a reliable contact. 
The ends should be filed off to a new 
surface. 



128 THE PRACTICAL GAS ENGINEER. 

PART VII. 



AUTOMOBILE AND MOTOR BOAT EN- 
GINE TROUBLES 

472. It would not be possible in this or 
any number of chapters to point out every 
trouble that may be encountered with a 
Boat or Automobile gasoline motor. But 
we hope to here enumerate some of 
those most commonly met with and to 
give such hints as may be of real value 
to the person in charge. 

473. VAPORIZERS.— Owing to the vari- 
able speeds required in motors on automo- 
biles and boats, the float feed vaporizers 
or carbureters are considered necessary. 
They are a fruitful source of trouble, 
especially in starting. They are not al- 
ways ready when the operator is. Some- 
times they need flushing. That is press- 
ing down the float to let more gasoline 
run in so as to flood the spray nozzle. 
One must be sure that gasoline comes 
down when he depresses the float. If 
not the float needle inlet or pipe from the 
tank may be clogged or there may be NO 
FUEIy in the tank. 

474. One of the first things an operator 
should know is the details of the car- 
bureter on his engine and just how it is 
designed to perform its function. Famil- 
iarity with it will enable him to quickly 



THE PRACTICAL GAS ENGINEER. 129 

locate the cause of any trouble with it. 
Something may go wrong with the float 
or its needle point. It will not shut off 
the gasoline properly. This will flood 
the vaporizer and the mixture will be too 
rich and will not ignite. 

475. Carbureters with spring valves and 
air throttles may go wrong in the mech- 
anism sustaining those parts and they 
will not adjust themselves to the condi- 
tions met until the cause is removed. 

476. The vaporizer to all appearances may 
be working all right and yet the engine 
refuse to go. Look for a leak in the inlet 
passage BETWEEN the CARBURETER 
and ENGINE. May be a packing blown 
out or hole somewhere letting in air. 

477. WATER in the gasoline ? Yes ! It 
has often caused no end of trouble and a 
few drops go a long ways in ruffling the 
feelings of even a good patient operator. 
Every supply pipe leading to the carbur- 
eter should be fitted with a trap where 
the water or sediment may collect before 
reaching the vaporizer. This trap should 
be cleaned often. 

478. There may be plenty of gasoline in 
the tank and yet none appear at the 
vaporizer. An automobile may be stand- 
ing on an incline so that the vaporizer is 
higher than the gasoline in the tank. If 
this condition is found and corrected and 
still there is no gasoline at the vaporizer, 
blow into the tank and endeavor thereby 
to dislodge any plug or occlusion in the 



130 THE PRACTICAL GAS ENGINEER. 

pipe. If this is not effective the pipe be- 
tween the tank and the vaporizer should 
be taken down and every joint and union 
should be carefully looked into or at least 
LOOKED THROUGH to see if there is 
a clear opening from one end to the other. 

479. Gasoline will not vaporize equally 
well in every carbureter in cold weather, 
and in some cases the engine is hard to 
start on account of cold weather. Then 
warming the engine cylinders, better 
the interior, by means of a plumber's 
blow torch through some of the plug 
ports to the combustion chamber, will in- 
variably remove the cause of this trouble. 

480. If the writer had occasion to use a 
boat or automobile in cold weather a gas- 
oline pressure blow torch would certainly 
be one of the articles of my equipment, 
along with a box of matches. A flame 
from it can be directed to any part of the 
engine or inlet pipes or carbureter. It 
becomes useful for a variety of warming 
purposes on a cold day miles away from 
a good warm fire. 

481. If no torch is at hand, filling the en- 
gine jacket with hot water will answer 
the purpose, or a red hot iron poked into 
the mouth of the air inlet while cranking 
the engine. 

482. Trouble sometimes arises because of 
want of proper suction force through the 
the vaporizer. The inlet passage may be 
choked or the airlift valve, where one is 
used, may stick or its spring may be too 



THE PRACTICAL GAS ENGINEER. 131 

stiff. If there is anything wrong with 
the exhaust valve, allowing a leak at that 
point, the air will be drawn into the cylind- 
er through the exhaust instead of through 
the vaporizer. When trouble is ex- 
perienced in starting, the suction through 
the vaporizer should always be tested. 

483. While it is absolutely necessary for 
one to thoroughly familiarize himseif with 
the vaporizer it is infinitely more impor- 
tant that he should understand every 
detail of the igniting appratus, because 
here is where the large percentage of 
troubles eminate from in motor boat or 
automobile engines. There is really no 
end to the variety of apparently trivial 
causes that may knock out successful 
ignition, and when ignition fails it is "all 
off" until the trouble is corrected. 

484. Engines for motor purposes are 
equipped either with the hammer-brake 
spark mechanism or with the jump spark 
ignition method. 

485. In either case electric battery mag- 
neto or dynamo may be used to generate 
the current necessary to make the ignit- 
ing spark, consequently the source or 
generator of the current is a most impor- 
tant item for consideration. 

486. We believe a motor boat or automo- 
bile should always carry what might be 
known as plenty of reserve generators. 
By this we mean that it is wise for any 
motorist to go prepared to avoid trouble 
or rather to meet and overcome it. If 



132 THE PRACTICAL GAS ENGINEER. 

batteries are used an extra set should 
always be carried to meet emergencies. 
If any of the variety of generators on the 
market is supplying the current, a dry 
battery might help out at a most critical 
time. 

487. A generator connected to a storage 
battery would seem proof against emer- 
gency troubles. But even w T ith this com- 
bination there are instances where the 
boat is left to the mercy of the waves and 
the automobile becomes inactive in some 
lonely spot on the country road for want 
of reserve generator. A dynamo or mag- 
neto may go wrong mechanically or elec- 
trically almost instantly. A storage bat- 
tery may not have been as fully charged 
as was suppossed. A dry battery may 
have lost a part of its generating energy 
on account of age, or is too nearly ex- 
hausted from constant use to be depended 
on for a venturesome trip. The same 
may be true of any type of battery 
adopted. 

488. It is indeed wise for one in trouble 
NOT TO FORGET the source of his 
igniting current. He should learn how 
to test batteries. A combination volt 
and ammeter is an excellent instrument 
to carry in the vest pocket for testing the 
strength of the battery. From 8 to 10 
volts and 10 to 25 amperes is good. 
When the amperage drops below 15 trou- 
ble may be expected soon. In fact when 
the writer finds his battery below 12 am- 



THE PRACTICAL GAS ENGINEER. 133 

peres, especially if a dry battery, he 
doesn't feel safe with it unless he has 
something in reserve to fall back on. 

489. There are writers who recommend 6 
or 8 amperes as sufficient. Our experi- 
ence tells us that this is too low for 
reliable jump spark work and we are in- 
clined to advise from 15 to 20 amperes for 
jump spark. 

490. The hammer-break spark, which is 
also known as the TOUCH SPARK can 
be worked successfully on a lower am- 
perage than the jump spark. We are 
firm believers in PLENTY of ignition 
ammunition, and we want it GOOD and 
STRONG all of the time, consequently 
prefer a higher amperage than necesary 
rather than one that is just a shade too 
low to work the coil successfully. 

491. Dry batteries are now offered that 
show (in each cell) from 25 to 30 am- 
peres. Much is claimed for them on 
successful jump spark ignition. But if 
you have 6 cells connected in series, each 
separately showing 25 amperes you must 
not expect the series to show six times 25, 
or 150 amperes. The series will show 25 
amperes same as the single cell. But if 
each cell shows 1% volts, 6 cells will 
show 9 volts in series. Storage batteries 
need only be tested for voltage, and each 
cell should show from 1.7 to 2.1 volts. 

492. Every person taking charge of an 
engine should seek to know at once 
whether the engine he is to handle is 



134 THE PRACTICAL GAS ENGINEER. 

fitted with a hammer break or jump 
spark mechanism and then familiarize 
himself as fully as possible with it. 

493. The principle differences between the 
two methods of ignition are that the 
HAMMER BREAK METHOD has its 
contact points that make and break the 
circuit, inside of the cylinder, in the 
ignition chamber, a simple primary spark 
coil and only two wires that connect the 
battery to the engine. 

494. The JUMP SPARK METHOD has 
its make and break mechanism on the 
outside, usually on the cam shaft or 
on a rod driven from the cam 
shaft. In a two-cycle the circuit 
breaker may be right on the crank shaft 
or on a shaft that is driven at the same 
speed as the crank shaft. An interrupter 
or vibrator on the coil and at least three 
wire connections with the engine. 

495. One can test the hammer break igni- 
ter for trouble by detaching the wire from 
the insulated electrode and brushing the 
bare end of the wire off some bright metal 
part of the engine when the current 
switch is closed. If the battery or gen- 
erator is producing a good current and 
there is no short circuit between the bat- 
tery and engine a BRIGHT FLASH or 
SPARK is seen at the point of slipping 
off. And if this occurs regularly any 
short circuit between the battery and en- 
gine can be excluded. 

496. If the batteries test up well in vol- 



THE PRACTICAL GAS ENGINEER. 135 

tage and amperage, one can feel assured 
that the trouble has its source in the en- 
gine and not in the battery coil or wiring 
up to the engine. But if brushing off, 
from some bright part of the engine, the 
bare end of the wire, with the other wire 
attached to its binding post, does not 
produce a spark or only a very faint one, 
then a weak battery, a broken down 
spark coil or a short circuit somewhere in 
the wire or battery connections should be 
suspected and looked for. 

497. When, however, the spark is good at 
the slipping off point, push the contact 
points together and brush the end of the 
wire over the outer end of the insulated 
electrode. This should make a good 
spark. If not, something is wrong on 
the inside and possibly the points are not 
in contact as supposed. 

498. On the other hand, when the contact 
points STAND APART as they should, 
excepting when brought together by me- 
chanical action, there SHOULD BE NO 
SPARK when the wire is slipped off the 
end of the insulated electrode. If there 
is a spark it is a sure sign that there is a 
short circuit between the electrodes, either 
by bridged carbon across the inner end 
of the insulation, a metal bridge outside 
or in, or a broken insulation. 

499. Some times a worn condition, of the 
mechanism which actuates the movable 
contact point ,will prevent its making a 
firm and complete contact, consequently 



136 THE PRACTICAL GAS ENGINEER. 

no ignition can occur. The separation 
spring may become so weak or out of ad- 
justment as to allow a constant contact of 
the points, which may not prevent an 
igniting spark, but it is extremely waste- 
ful of battery strength. It allows a con- 
stant current which wears out the life of 
the battery in short order. 

500. Sometimes a broken wire, within the 
insulation, causes trouble, and the only 
way to test it is to string a new wire 
along the side of the suspected one touch- 
ing both ends to its connections. If a 
spark results by the spark test it indicates 
the old wire is at fault. But if there is 
no spark the other wares should be sus- 
pected and tested in the same way. 

501. When jump spark ignition is in use, 
one should be sure that he understands 
the primary and secondary circuits and 
their use. The jump spark coil, while 
wound around the same core, has two 
coils that are practically independent of 
each other. The primary coil is wound 
immediately around the core or bundle of 
soft w r ires, and consists of a single piece 
of insulated w r ire wound closely in layers 
one on top of the other, and when com- 
pleted each end of this w T ire is attached 
to a binding post from which the w r ire, 
transmitting the current, are carried to 
the battery and engine. 

502. This is known as the primary coil 
through which the current from the bat- 
tery runs. The coil is covered with a 



THE PRACTICAL GAS ENGINEER. 137 

hard rubber tube slipped over the coil. 
Around this tube is wound the layers of 
the secondary coil. The hard rubber 
tube completely insulates and seperates 
the primary from the secondary coil. 
They have no metal connection and are 
made of two different sizes and pieces 
of wire. 

503. The vibrator is attached to the prim- 
ary circuit and so also is the CONDEN- 
SER, which is an arrangement on the in- 
side of the coil case or box. The jump 
spark coil is sometimes called the con- 
denser, erroneausly. 

504. When the current from the battery is 
started through the primary coil it mag- 
netizes the core, the end of which attracts 
the vibrator hammer to it. This pulls the 
vibrator away from the point of the ad- 
justing screw over which the current 
passed, and the instant the vibrator spring 
leaves this point, the circuit is broken, 
the core is demagentized, consequently 
no longer attracts the vibrator, which be- 
ing released drops back, on account of 
the spring tension, against the same 
point again making the circuit, magne- 
tizing the core and pulling the vibrator 
away from the connection. 

505. By this automatic make and break 
arrangement the vibrator is in violent ac- 
tion continually, causing what is known 
as an interrupted current in the primary 
coil. 

506. This vibrating or interrupted current, 



138 THE PRACTICAL GAS ENGINEER. 

in the primary, causes an induced current 
of high voltage and consequently high 
tension in the secondary coil. 

508. The wire from the secondary coil 
carrying this high tension current is at- 
tached to the spark plug, consequently it 
is this high tension secondary current 
that actually makes the spark. The 
primary current from the batterv does 
not reach the spark plug at all. 

509. At this point where the vibrator 
spring comes in contact with the ad- 
justing screw there are platinum points, 
and when there is sparking at this point 
it indicates that the condenser is out of 
order. When suspecting trouble with 
the coil one should always listen for the 
buzz of the vibrator when turning the en- 
gine over. 

510. If it vibrates strongly at every make 
the trouble must be looked for in the 
secondary circuit, possibly in the spark 
plug. Remove the plug and lay it on 
some bright metal part of the engine with 
the high tension wire attached to its 
bending post and turn the engine over 
until the circuit breaker makes the contact 
then there should be a buzzing of the 
vibrator and a stream of sparks between 
the points on the plug. A short circuit 
should be looked for, either about the 
spark plug or along the high tension 
wire. 

511. Some times if the high tension wire 
hangs near the earth the current will 



THE PRACTICAL GAS ENGINEER. 139 

jump through the insulation to reach the 
ground. Any moisture about the plug 
is likely to cause a short circuit. The 
plug should be thoroughly cleaned and 
show a good spark at the terminal points 
before it is screwed in place again. 

512. When the vibrator fails to buzz either 
the adjusting screw is set up too close or 
there is something wrong with the 
primary circuit or the current is too 
weak. There are a number of points in 
the primary circuit that may get out of 
order, especially about the circuit breaker. 

513. The set screw holding the contact 
points to the revolving shaft may get 
loose or the springs supplying the con- 
tact tension may get weak or loose. The 
vibrator and circuit breaker points should 
be kept clean. It is always well to be 
sure that there is a good contact at the 
circuit breaker. The adjusting screw 
should be so set to the vibrator as to 
cause it to vibrate at the highest speed. 
This can be determined by the rapidity 
of the vibrating sounds heard. 

514. The power of the engine is largely 
dependent on the cylinder COMPRESS- 
ION, mixture and spark being in good con- 
dition. Consequently the compression is 
an important guide. Compression de- 
pends on good acting cylinder rings, 
good valves and a tight cylinder in 
general. 

515. If the engine loses its compression 
and turns easy over the compression 



140 THE PRACTICAL GAS ENGINEER. 

stroke look out for leaks either through 
the piston rings, valves or sparker parts. 
A leak can usually be detected by having 
some one turn the engine onto the com- 
pression stroke slowly while the operator 
has his ear near the point of suspected 
leak. A hissing or blowing sound will 
be heard when the compressed air is es- 
caping. After locating the point of lost 
compression the remedy ought to be ap- 
parent to any one. 

516. If the valve, either exhaust or inlet, is 
leaking determine whether it leaks be- 
cause of a dirty or corroded seat, or 
whether the valve pallet or seat is cracked. 
If the loss is by the rings it will be neces- 
sary to determine whether one or more of 
them are broken or whether they are 
stuck in their grooves because of dirt ac- 
cumulations from burnt lubricating oil. 

517. Improperly timed valves will often af- 
fect the compression and cause loss of 
power. The springs of the exhaust or 
inlet valves may be too weak to bring the 
valves properly to their seats. 

518. Improperly fitted rings or an imper- 
fect cylinder or piston may be the cause 
of loss of compression in a new engine. 
A gasket, packing a joint between the 
cylinder and outside, may be partially 
blown out. 

519. Explosions in the muffler are caused 
by unfired charges accumulating in the 
muffler due usually to faulty ignition or 
mixtures. Weak mixtures and late ig- 



THE PRACTICAL GAS ENGINEER. 141 

nition are generally the cause of firing 
back through the inlet passages. If an 
engine starts all right but begins to miss 
fire as soon as it gets io full speed suspect 
loose wire connection or short circuit 
made worse by the vibrations of the en- 
gine under full speed. A weak battery 
also should be suspected. The battery 
will gain strength enough when standing 
to start the engine but a few moments 
run will exhaust it. 

520. If an engine slows down after run- 
ning a while when firing its charges reg- 
ularly look for an over heated piston or a 
hot box. What ever is done it pays to 
look carefully after lubrication and radi- 
ation or cooling of the cylinder. 

521. Premature explosions are caused by 
overheated cylinders, over advance of the 
igniter, too high compression, heated 
projections in the igniting chamber and 
deposits of burnt carbon . 

522. Trouble, in getting power from a two 
cycle engine and running it successfully, 
often arises on account of a leak from the 
crank case which should always be kept 
thoroughly packed so as to be absolutely 
compression tight, other wise trouble is 
bound to occur. 

523. Crank case explosions are often met 
with in the two cycle and are very an- 
noying. They are due generally to too 
light compression in the crank case, to 
prevent the flame in the cylinder return- 
ing through the bypass. A bypass throttle, 



142 THE PRACTICAL GAS ENGINEER. 

a screen in the bypass or increasing crank 
case compression are the remedies to over- 
come this trouble. 
524. A weak mixture or a late explosion 
causes slower burning and consequently- 
higher pressure and a delayed flame in 
the cylinder when the inlet port from the 
bypass is uncovered by the piston, result- 
ing in crank case explosions. Throttling 
the inlet between vaporizer and crank 
case often causes crank case explosions 
which can be over come when the engine 
is under full load by turning on more 
gasoline and advancing the spark. 



INDEX. 

Paragraph. Page. 

Anchor Bolts in foundation. . .120 35 
Anchor Bolts — How to set 

them 122, 124 36 

Anchor Bolts, length of 120 35 

Anchor Plate 121 35 

Adjustable Flame for Hot 

Tube 176,177 48 

Area of Valves 251, 258 65, 66 

All charges taken should be 

ignited 301 79 

All senses used for detecting 

irregularities 304, 305 80 

Actual Horse Power 383 99 

Benzine 5, 409 6, 106 

Birth of the Gas Engine. 9 6 

Base, construction of 35, 36 14 

Brass Boxes or bearings 40, 41 14, 15 

Babbitt Boxes 40, 41 14, 15 

Balancing an Engine. 68 to 74 21, 22 

Bolts for Foundation 120 35 

Bag, Gas 143, 144 40 

Burner for Tube Ignitor 172 47 

Battery Connections 192 51 

Battery, fluid cell 193 51 

Battery, dry cell 194 52 

Bad Running Engine 203 54 

Binding Post 185, 186 50 

Battery, life of 293 67 



144 INDEX. 

Paragraph. Page. 

Battery, how to revive 296, 293 77 

Barking noise in cylinder 310, 313 82 

Back-firing, its causes 332, 334 87 

Bound boxes 352 92 

Babbitting a box 359 93 

Burst cylinder jacket 364 95 

Brake horse power 385, 386 99 

Brake test for power 388 to 396 100, 101 

Combustion ....2 5 

Compression 2 5 

Charge, gas and air 2 5 

Construction of two-cycle en- 
gine 15, 16, 17, 18, 19 8, 9 

Cylinder construction . ... .27 to 34 12, 13 

Cylinder walls, how thick 34 13 

Crank pin center 40 14 

Crosshead construction 43 15 

Cylinder rings, purpose of 48, 54 16, 17 

Coughing noise in cylinder 55, 310, 313 18, 82 

Connecting rod . .56 to 59 18, 19 

Crank shaft 60, 66 19, 20 

Crosshead box 59 19 

Contact spark 89, 90 27 

Cellar for engine room 110 32 

Cap stone or timber 117 34 

Circulating pump 139 39 

Cooling fan 139 39 

Connecting gasoline tank to 

Engine 145 to 151 41, 42 

Chimney for tube ignitor 170, 171 46, 47 

Current breaker 178 48 

Cleanliness 205 54 

Compression relief lever 219 58 

Compressed air starter 229 to 235 60, 61 



INDEX. 145 
Paragraph, Page. 

Compression and its relation to 

power 243 63 

Compression space, size of 244 63 

Compression pressure 245, 246 64 

Constricted valve passage kills 

power 251, 258 65, 66 

Cooling the cylinder 275, 278 70, 71 

Cause of defective ignition .... 285, 303 73 to 79 

Character of igniting spark. . .295 77 

Cylinder, pounding in 306 to 326 80 to 85 

Causes of pre-ignition 308 to 312 81, 82 

Crosshead knock 314 83 

Choked inlet passage 328, 330 86 

Cold weather affects starting. .335 to 337 87, 88 
Causes for slower speed and 

stopping 346 89 

Gut boxes or bearings 357 93 

Cylinder, interior of 380, 381 98, 99 

Distillate 5 6 

Distillate .426 110 

Diameter of crank shaft 66 20 

Diameter of fly wheels 67 20 

Double cylinder or balanced 

engine 73, 74 22 

Damp cellar unfit for engine 

room ,...110 32 

Dimensions of foundation 116 34 

Depth of foundation 115 34 

Dry battery 194 52 

Dynamo or spark ignition 195 52 

Defective ignition 285 73, 74 

Dynamo current tested 299 78 

Dynamo fields should run 

cool 300 78 



146 INDEX. 

Paragraph. Page. 

Difficult starting 335,340 87,88 

Danger in handling a gas en- 
gine 377 to 379 98 

Danger from gasoline 419 to 433 108, 111 

Explosion 2, S 5 

Expansive force 3 5 

Explosive force. 7 6 

Electric spark ignition 88 to 99 26 

Electric points, terminals or 

electrodes 90 to 94 27 

Engine room 203 to 206 54, 55 

Engine room 109 to 111 32 

Exhaust connections 152 42 

Exhaust mufflers 153 43 

Exhaust into a flue or chim- 
ney 154, 155 43 

Exhaust into well or cistern.. 157 44 

Exhaust into box 159, 160 44 

Electric ignitor 178 to 201 48 to 53 

Electric connections 185 to 191 50, 51 

Engineer for sure 204 to 218 54 to 58 

Engine hard to start; why?. . .214 57 
Engine should run empty at 

first 236, 239 62 

Engine shuts down when too 

much fuel 236 to 242 62, 63 

Economy under full load 279 71 

Electric current tested 289 75 

Exhaust sounds a guide to 

improper running 304, 305 80 

Engine slows up and stops 346 89 

Exploring interior of cylinder . . 380, 381 98 

Euels used in gas engine 4,5 6 

Four-cycle principle..*. 11 7 



INDEX. 147 

Paragraph. Page. 

Fly wheel, weight and diam- 
eter 67 20 

Foundation for gas engine 112 33 

Foundation, "any old floor" . .112 33 

Foundation, object in 114 33 

Foundation, depth of 115 34 

Foundation, dimensions of 116 34 

Foundation, height of 118 35 

Foundation, concrete 119 35 

Foundation, capped with stone 

or timber 117 34 

Feeding gasoline by gravity. . .145, 146 41 
Feeding gasoline by pump 

method 147, 148 41 

Fire insurance companies re- 
quire pump method 151 42 

Fluid battery 193 " 51 

Fuel consumption 274, 283 70, 72 

Fuel consumption under full 

load 280 71 

Fuel consumption in relation 

to speed 281 71 

Fuel consumption guarantee. .282, 283 72 
Fuel consumption, rules to 

follow >283 72 

Fields of dynamo should run 

cool 300 78 

Firing every charge taken.... 301 79 

Feed more fuel 334 87 

Feed less fuel 347, 349 91 

Freeze up water Jacket 364 95 

Fire resulting from gasoline. . .431 111 

Gasoline 5, 409 to 433 6, 106 

Gas, natural 5 6 



148 INDEX. 

Paragraph. Page. 

Gas, artificial 5 6 

Gas Engine 1, 7 5,6 

Gasoline engine 7 6 

Gasoline, atomized or vapor- 
ized 8, 335 to 337 6, 88 

Governor, types of 100 29 

Governor, hit and miss 102 to 106 30 

Governor, throttling 104 to 106 31 

Gas pipe connections 140 to 144 40 

Gas regulator 141, 142 40 

Gasometer 142 40 

Gas bag 143, 144 40 

Gravity system of feeding gas- 
oline 145, 146 41 

Gasoline tank, where located. .145 to 157 41 

Gasoline, 'too much 240 to 242 63 

Gasoline, how much engine 

should use 275 70 

Gas, natural, now much en- 
gine should use 275 70 

Gas engine troubles 284 73 

Gasoline, slow vaporizing 335 to 337 88 

Ground joints leaking 341 89 

Grinding valves 370 to 376 96 

Gasoline, how produced 409 to 412 106 

Gasoline, sediment in bottom 

of tank 414, 415, 417 107 

Gasoline purified 414, 428 107, 108 

Gasoline tank, best to use. . . .418 108 
Gasoline tank, protect from 

sun's rays 419 108 

Gasoline tank, burial in 

ground 420 108 

Gasoline tank explosions... .432, 433 111 



INDEX. 149 

Paragraph. Page. 

Hydro-carbon 6 6 

Hydro-carbon engine same as 

gas engine 7 6 

Heightof base 36 14 

Hot wrist box 61 19 

Hit and miss governor 101 to 106 30 

Height of foundation 118 35 

How to line an engine with 

line shaft 126 to 128 37 

How to put up exhaust con- 
nections 161, 163 45 

Hot tube ignitor .167, 177 46, 48 

Hard starting engine 214 57 

High compression 246 64 

High compressions cause pre- 

ignition 245,247 64 

How much gasoline engine 

should use 275 70 

How to test electric current. . .289, 290 75 
How to test sparker insula- 
tion 291 76 

How to revive battery current. 296, 299 77 

Hot boxes 358,61 93,19 

How to patch leaky cylinder 

jacket 368, 369 96 

How to grind a valve 370 to 376 96 

How to start a gas engine 397 102 

How to stop a gas engine 398 103 

Horse power explained 382 to 387 99 

Horse power, actual 383 99 

Horse power, indicated 384 99 

Horse power, brake 385, 386 96, 99 

Initial pressure 3 5 

Igniting mechanism 86,87 26 



150 INDEX. 

Paragraph. Page. 

Ignition, electric spark meth- 
od 86, 89 26 

Insulation of stationary ter- 
minal or points 93, 95, 96 28 

Insulating material 96 28 

Installing a gas engine 107, 111 32 

Igniting tube contains burnt 

gases 175 48 

Ignition too early 286, 287 74 

Ignition with hot tube 286 74 

Ignition with electric spark . . . 287 74 

Insulation tested 291 76 

Ignite every charge admitted. .301, 303 79 

Inlet passage choked , 328, 330 86 

Ignition gradually fails 344 89 

Indicated horse power 384, 387 99 

Indicator 387 99 

Illustration of engine connec- 
tions 104 

Journal box construction 38 to 41 14 

Jump spark 89 27 

Kerosene engine 7 6 

Kiss spark 9C 29 

Knock at crosshead or wrist. .314, 315 83 

Lining up engine shaft 126 to 128 37 

Loss of power by radiation. . .138 39 

Length of ignition tube 169 46 

Lack of power in explosions. .222 59 

Lubricating valve stems 266, 267 68 

Length of piston 44, 45, 46, 15 

Lubricating cylinder 269 69 

Lubricating wrist boxes 272 70 

Lubricating fractional parts.. 268 69 

Life of a battery 293 76 



INDEX. 151 

Paragraph. Page. 

Loss of power .323, 326 84 

Leaky valves 323, 325, 85 

Leaky cylinder rings 326 85 

Leaky joints 341 89 

Leaky valve stems 342 89 

Liners 353, 354 92 

Lime in water jacket cham- 
ber 361 95 

Leak in cylinder jacket 364 95 

Motor 1, 7 5, 6 

Mixture of gas and air 1,7 5 

Making and breaking the elec- 
tric current 90, 91 27 

Movable and stationary ter- 
minals or contact points. . .97, 98 29 
Magneto for igniting purposes. 195 52 

More power, more fuel 242 63 

Misfiring 301, 303, 327 79, 85 

Naphtha engine 7 6 

Natural water circulation 135 39 

Naphtha 409 106 

Oil, kind to use for cylinder. .208, 209 55 

Oiling valve stems 210, 266, 267 55, 68 

Oiling the gas engine 208 55 

Oiling frictional parts 268 69 

Oiling cylinder 269 69 

Oiling wrist boxes 272 70 

Obstinate starting 335 to 340 87, 88 

Overcharging with fuel , .335, 337 87 

Prime mover 1 5 

Pressure in the cylinder 3 5 

Parts necessary to a gas en- 
gine 24, 25 11 

Piston, how constructed 42 to 47 15, 16 



152 INDEX. 

Paragraph- Page. 

Piston rings, same as cylinder 

or packing rings 48 to 54 16, 17 

Pitman 56 to 59 18 

Piping up an engine 129 38, 100 

Piping water to engine from 

cooling tank 132 to 135 38, 100 

Piping water to engine from 

hydrant 136 to 138 39 

Piping gasoline to engine 145 to 157 41 

Preliminaries to starting a new 

gas engine 203 54 

Pre-ignition 247 64 

Pre-ignition, causes of 247, 250 64 

Pre-ignition cause of pound- 
ing 306 80 

Pre-ignition, how to test 308, 309 81 

Pounding in cylinder 306 to 326 80 

Piston cause of pound 310, 316 82 

Pins, crosshead and wrist ...356 93 

Packing 360 94 

Power, actual horse 383 99 

Power, indicated horse 384 99 

Power, brake horse 385, 386 99 

Power. 382, 387 99 

Place equipments where most 

convenient 406,407 106 

Paraffine oil 414 107 

Ring for cylinder, how should 

be made 48 to 54 16, 17 

Room in which to set an en- 
gine 109, 111 32 

Regulator, gas 141,142 40 

Receiving valve, timing of 262 67 

Reviving battery current 296 to 298 77 



INDEX. 153 

Paragraph. Page. 

Sediment at bottom of gaso- 
line tank 414, 416, 427 107, 110 

Storing gasoline 422 109 

Stopping the gas engine 398 103 

Setting the valves 259 66 

Spark controlled by governor. 99 29 

Setting the gas engine 107 32 

Scavenging engine, 165 45 

Scavenging, how done with 

exhaust 166 46 

Switch or current breaker 178 to 183 48, 49 

Spark coil 179 49 

Spark coil, its purpose .181, 182 49 

Spark or igniting dynamo 195 52 

Spark or igniting magneto 195 52 

Steam cylinder oil not good 

for gas engine 209 • 55 

Starting gas engine 211, 397 56, 102 

Starting cup 213 56 

Starting by hand 212 56 

Starting relief lever or valve . . 219 58 
Starting by one-half turn of 

the wheel 220, 221 59 

Starting with air pump 223 59 

Starting with match ignitor. . .224 to 228 60 
Starting with compressed air. .229 to 233 60, 61 
Starting with light air pres- 
sure 234 61 

Starting, causes of difficult. ..335 to 340 87, 88 

Sparker points, how to time. .263, 264 67, 68 

Sparker insulation tested 291 76 

Short circuit explained 288 75 

Sounds confounded with 

pounding 307, 317 81, 83 



154 INDEX. 

Paragraph. Page. 

Spark coil, short circuit in 294, 295 76, 77 

Speed gets lower, engine stops . 346 89 

Smoke at end of exhaust pipe. 347 91 

Smoke from the cylinder 349, 351 91 

Setting a box 355 92 

Two-cycle engine and how it 

operates 15, 20 to 23 8,11 

Two compression chambers in 

a two-cycle engine 15 8 

Thickness of cylinder wall 33, 34 13 

Timing the spark 97 29 

Throttling governor 104, 106 31 

Templet 123 36 

Tube ignitor described 167 to 177 46, 48 

Turning the wheels over com- 
pression point 219 58 

Turn! Turn! Turn! and no 

start 214 to 218 57, 58 

Timing the valves 259 66 

Test engine to see if valves 

and ignitor are in time 261 67 

Timing the igniting points 263, 97 67, 29 

Timing the receiving valve 262 67 

Timing the exhaust valve 265 68 

Troubles encountered. with gas 

engine 284 73 

Testing the electric current. . .289 75 

Testing dynamo current 299 78 

Thumping in cylinder, causes 

of 317 83 

Testing leaky valves 346 87 

Testing power of engine 388, 396 100, 102 

Unnatural sounds detected . . .319, 322 84 

Valve ports, location of 28 29 12 



INDEX. 155 

Paragraph. Page. 

Valves and their location 75 to 76 22 

Valves, type of 75 22 

Valves, manner of operating. .75 to 78 22, 23 
Valves, chambers should be 

bolted on cylinder 78, 79 23 

Valve, exhaust should be 

watered 80 24 

Valve, gas and gasoline com- 
bination 81, 82 24 

Valve, gas ...83 25 

Valve, gasoline 84, 86 25 

Valve in water connnection. . .131 38 
Valve stem should not be 

oiled 210 55 

Valve areas 251 to 258 65 

Valves, how to time them 259 66 

Vaporizing gasoline in cold 

weather 335 to 337 87, 88 

.Valves, how to grind 370 to 376 96 

Why four-cycle engines are 

preferred 13, 14 8 

Weight of piston .44 to 47 15, 16 

Wrist pin, size of 64 20 

Wiping spark 98 29 

Water connections 130 38, 104 

Water connections, valves in. .131, 132 38 
Water connections with cool- 
ing tank 132 to 135 38 

Water connections with hy- 
drant 136, 137 39 

Water supply 207 55 

Water for cooling purposes . . . 275 to 278 70 

Water temperature 275, 278 70 

Water too cool 277 71 



156 INDEX. 

Paragraph. Page. 

Water in cylinder 339, 340 88 

What method of ignition is 

best 196 52 

Why are gas engines hard to 

start? 214 57 

Weak explosions 345 89 



INDEX. „ 157 



INDEX TO PART VI. 



Paragraph. Page, 

Armature brushes 463, 464, 471 124 

Battery current ignition 437 113 

Battery for starting purposes. .440, 441 114, 115 

Clean commutator brushes 463, 471 124, 127 

Catalytic ignition 437, 438 113 

Combination magneto and dy- 
namo • 447 to 450 117, 118 

Current strength for jump and 

touch spark 457 121 

Care of ignitors 459 122 

Dynamo and magneto igni- 
tion 434 111 

Dynamo explained 440 114 

Damp insulation 467 125 

Electric current strength. 435 112 

Flame ignition 437 113 

Field windings as spark coil. . .453 119 
Generators with speed gov- 
ernors 442 115 

Hot tube ignition 437 113 

High tension generator 458 122 



158 INDEX. 

Paragraph. Page. 

How io set generator 469 126 

Ignitors, dynamo and mag- 
neto 439 113 

Jump spark 455,456, 457 120, 121 

Keep clean 468, 470 126 

Look for little things 460 123 

Lost magnetism 465, 466 125 

Magneto explained 443 116 

Methods of ignition 437 113 

Magneto-dyamo. 447, 448 117 

Over-oiling a common trouble. 461, 462, 470 124 

Reliable ignition equipment. . .436 112 

Sure ignition important 434 111 

Speed of dynamo should be 

uniform 440 114 

Selection of ignitor ; 446 117 

Spark coil 454, 455, 456 120 

Time to pick up current 159 123 

Troubles with dynamo or 

magneto 159, 160 123 

Uniform speed of ignitors 444 116 

Variable speed 445 117 

Wire connections on magneto - 

dynamo. . . ._. 451, 152 119 

Wire brushes soaked in oil. . . .471 127 



INDEX. 159 



INDEX TO PART VII. 



Paragraph Page. 

Ammeter . 488 132 

Amperes for jump spark 488, 492 132, 133 

Battery strength 488, 492 132 

Buzz of the vibrator .509, 510 138 

Crank case compression 522, 523 141 

Cylinder rings loose compres- 
sion 516, 518 140 

Compression of the mixture 514 139 

Carbureters 473, 475, 476 128 

Clogged float needle 473 128 

Cold weather effects starting... .479 130 

Choked inlet passage 482 130 

Coil short circuited 496 135 

Contact of terminals 499 135 

Circuit, primary 501, 504 136 

Circuit, secondary 501 136 

Circuit breaker 513 139 

Coil, jump spark, action, and how 

made 501 to 512 136, 139 

Dislodge obstruction in pipe, 

how 478 129 

Dynamo or magneto :487 132 

Dry battery reserve 486 131 

Dry battery strength 491 133 



160 INDEX. 

Paragraph. Page. 

Electrodes or terminals not in 

contact 497, 498 135 

Explosions in crank case 523 141 

Float feed 473 128 

Fuel tank, empty 473 128 

Gasoline blow torch for cold 

weather starting 479, 480 130 

Generator and storage battery.... 48 7 132 

Hammer break spark 484, 490, 493—131, 134 

Hot box 520 141 

Igniting current, source of and 

strength 488 132 

Insulation broken 498 135 

Ignition ammunition, plenty 

of it 490 133 

Jump spark 484, 491, 494 131 

Leak in inlet passage 476 129 

Loose wire connections 519 141 

Lubrication 520 141 

Mixture too rich 474 129 

Muffler explosions 519 140 

Over heated piston 520 141 

Packing blown out 476, 518 129, 140 

Power leak 515 140 

Premature explosions 521 141 

Power troubles in two cycle 522, 524 141 

Short circuit 510 138 

Starting in cold weather .479, 480 130 

Suction valve may stick 482 130 

Source of igniting current 485 131 

Spark testing 495 134 

Spark coil 496 135 

Tank empty 473 128 

Trap for water in gasoline pipe..477 129 



INDEX. 161 

Paragraph. Page. 
Testing current and battery 

strength .488, 491 133 

Testing spark 495 134 

Two cycle troubles 522, 524 141, 142 

Valves dirty, corroded and im- 
properly timed. ... 516, 517 140 

Vibrator in coil 503, 512 137 

Vaporizer, flushing the 473 128 

Voltmeter ......488 132 

Voltage of current 488, 491 132, 133 

Water in gasoline .477 129 

Why battery becomes exhausted 

quickly ...499 136 

Wire broken within insullation..500 136 

Weak mixture 519, 524 140, 142 

Weak battery 519 141 



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The Battery Cells are 
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We Guarantee the "Lambert" 

To run successfully or no pay. To use not more than one 
gallon of 74 degree gasoline in ten hours to each indicated 
horse power nor more than eighteen cubic feet of natural 
gas per hour. To be made of the best material procurable 
and by the best mechanics. 

All Engines Are Thoroughly Tested 

Before leaving the factory, and will run on Natural Gas, 
Artificial Gas, Gasoline or Distillate. We warrant all en- 
gines to work successfully and agree to furnish free of 
charge, any part that may turn out defective in material 
or workmanship. 

The price is right. Ask foi it. We want your order. Send 
for our illustrated catalog. FREE for the asking. 

The Lambert Gas and Gasoline Engine Co. 

ANDERSON, IND. 
168 



Friction AUTOMOBILES 

Drive AND 



TRUCKS 




Model H. 40-H. P. $2000. 

We manufacture five different models 
in Touring Cars. We also manufacture 
Trucks. No complicated parts in our 
transmission. Write for Catologue and 
Proposition to agents. 

The Buckeye Manufacturing Co. 

Anderson, Indiana 

Member American Motor Car Manufacturers Assn., Chicago 



169 




2& •^^^^^C^#^S#5^#'^#S^^^\^^#S#^s#^N^^^^4 > ^^*\^#\#S#V*S^^ 

DYNAMO IGNITION 



The 

Motsinger 
Auto- 
SparRcr 

The Most Successful Method of Firing the 
Charge in a Gas Engine 

No Battery to Start or Run 

The original speed controlled friction driven 
dynamo. Its governors control its speed and 
insures a uniform current, at variable speeds of 
the engine, for the Make and Break and the 
Jump Spark Systems, will charge all storage 
batteries for ignition purposes, thoroughly in- 
sulated, is water and dust proof. 

For economy, reliability and uniform current, 
do away with your batteries and use a Motsinger 
Auto Sparker for starting and running your 
Gas Engines. Fully guaranteed. 

32 Page Catalogue free. Write 

Motsinger Device Mfg. Co. 

313 Main Street, Pendleton, Ind. 

170 



Henricks 
Magneto 

Fires Your Gas or Gasoline 

Engine without the Aid 

of Batteries 



It is better and more durable than any Dynamo. 
Its Governor regulates the speed regardless of 
speed of flywheel. Its Governor adjusts to 
imperfect flywheels. Its Governor insures a 
constant and uniform spark. The spark does 
not burn the contacts of the engine. All strains 
are removed from the bearing of the Magneto. 

FUWY GUARANTEED 
AGENTS WANTED 

HENRICKS NOVELTY CO. 

137 S. CAPITOL AVE. 
INDIANAPOLIS, IND. 

171 




I. It C. Gasoline Engines 

If power users seek a power producers that is 
absolutely dependable at all times the I. H. C. 
engine must appeal to them. Ease of opera- 
tion, strength, low cost of fuel, extreme simpli- 
city, giving assurance of immunity from trouble 
make the I. H. C. an essential engine for gen- 
eral service. 

The International Harvester Company engine 
is made in the following styles and sizes: 

Horizontal (Portable and Stationary) 4, 6, 8, 10, 12, 

15 and 20-horse power. 
Vertical, 2 and 3-horse power. 

If you have any possible use for power call on 
the local agent and have a talk with him about 
what the 1. H. C. will do for you, or write for 
illustrated catalogue. 



International Harvester Co. of America 

(Incorporated) 

CHICAGO, U. S. A. 



172 



CATALOGS BOOKLETS 



BULLETIN 

PRINTING AND^ 
MANUFACTURING C?)| 
i PRINTING sPUBLISHING, 1 / 

ANDERSON, JH D. 



Makers of Fine Printing 



POSTERS 



LABELS 



173 



JUL 6 1908 



